COVID Vaccinations and JCVI: Campaign Update

On 27 November we told you about what Learning Disability England members are doing to campaign for people with a learning disability to get the vaccine as a priority group.

You can read about that here

On 2nd December, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) have published updated guidance on priorities for who gets the vaccine first.

You can read that here

It does not give priority to people with learning disabilities alongside older people even though we know more people with learning disabilities died at a younger age than the general population between March and July.


The letter to the JCVI
 we signed alongside other organisation explains why we think people with learning disabilities must be a priority group and we still believe that.


It is good people with ‘severe and profound’ learning disability are included in the list alongside other people extremely clinically vulnerable because of a condition.

But this will not help other people with learning disabilities who are at higher risk.

The Representative Body Co Chairs have written to Helen Whatley, Minister for Care to ask that all people with a learning disability are made a priority for vaccination.

We will carry on working to get these priorities changed and you can add your voice by contacting your MP.

You can use this easy read template from SpeakUp to write to or email your MP and add your voice.

You can use this website to find the name and contact details of your MP.

You can see an easy read about the vaccine here, from Mencap.