I went to a vaccination centre today after booking an appointment online. They turned me away saying I didn’t fit the criteria. I did show them a letter from the from the hospital showing a diagnosis of cirrhosis. All their literature pointed to immunosuppressants medication which I’m not on. I am pleased they are being vigilant as obviously the most vulnerable need the vaccination.
Just checked on government site and it mentions severe liver disease as an eligible condition (naively I thought cirhossis was).
I would love to hear of any thoughts or experiences.
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0range5520
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I have an autoimmune liver disease, no chirosis , I take steroids and immunosuppressants and yes I am considered ‘vulnerable’ and get Covid boosters, also had shingles and pneumonia vaccinations.
My husband aged 71 with Cirrhosis was invited for the booster. He has had Cirrhosis for 4 years but only now is being classed as vulnerable. However, we are in a dilemma as after his last few jabs he has been quite poorly for around 48 hours. He hasn't wanted to eat, and was so exhausted he could barely speak. He doesn't remember this. He is losing weight so he has to eat. It is hard to know what to do.
It's all a tad confusing this time round & you arn't the first person i've heard being refused when their sole condition is 'cirrhosis' - the criteria for receiving the jab says:-
"While you might have received your COVID-19 vaccine during winter or in past ‘Spring Booster’ campaigns, the criteria for this year’s spring vaccine have changed slightly:
Adults aged 75 years and over.
Residents in a care home for older adults.
Individuals aged 6 months and over who have a weakened immune system.
As you can see, the criteria are similar to the spring 2022 and spring 2023 booster campaigns, but this year the criteria for the immunosuppressed group has lowered to include those 6 months and over.
The eligibility is the same across the four nations of the UK (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland)."
It goes on to say :-
"I have a weakened immune system, am I eligible this spring?
We understand that having a weakened immune system (immunosuppression) is a lot less straight forward than the other criteria. Looking online can cause even more confusion, as people might see themselves (and be considered by others) as immunosuppressed but might not fit the immunosuppression criteria for vaccination.
So, what are the immunosuppression criteria? Eligibility is outlined in Chapter 14a of the Green Book, a document published by UKHSA specifically for public health professionals. It can be a complicated document for non-experts, so we've listed some of the groups here:
Organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients.
Those being treated with systemic steroids for more than a month.
Those living with HIV.
Those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children who are about to receive therapy.
Those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy.
Those who require long-term treatment for immunosuppression
Those with a history of haematological malignancy including chronic leukaemia, lymphomas, and leukaemia.
Those with genetic disorders affecting the immune system.
While this list summarises some major groups, it does not cover everything. Please check online at nhs.uk/get-vaccine to see if you are eligible."
* When you go to the Green Book Chapter 14a in Table 3 which details 'clinical risk groups' it does indeed still cover those with "Chronic liver disease Cirrhosis, biliary atresia, chronic hepatitis" folks with diabetes & more.
Just been on the NHS Scotland site and there is no mention of cirrhosis on their as a qualifier and certainly my hubby with auto immune related cirrhosis (no immune suppressants), diabetes and a non-viable spleen hasn't been invited - in fact at the winter one the vaccinator wasn't offering hubby a booster then either.
NHS Scotland guidance states:-
"Weakened immune system due to disease or treatment
adults undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
solid organ transplant recipients
bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients
adults with HIV infection (at all stages)
multiple myeloma
Auto-immune diseases
Adults who require long term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions including, but not limited to:
systemic lupus erythematosus
rheumatoid arthritis
inflammatory bowel disease
scleroderma
psoriasis
Blood cancers
Adults with haematological malignancy, including:
leukaemia
lymphona
myeloma
Genetic disorders affecting the immune system
For example:
deficiencies of IRAK-4 or NEMO
complement disorder
SCID
Immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy
Including, but not limited to:
anti-TNF
alemtuzumab
ofatumumab
rituximab
adults receiving protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors
adults treated with steroid sparing agents such as cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil
Steroid medication
adults treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day.
Thanks so much for such a detailed reply, it is a bit confusing but I now have a greater understanding. I’ll wait for a request from my Gp, when the time comes
I started researching this and I saw somewhere (can't now find it) that the Spring booster programme only lasts until the end of June. I don't know how proactive your GP is but in your position I would not be waiting for mine to do anything that should happen by the end of June. If you think you are eligible for a booster, and want one, then I would suggest you contact the GP about it.
From the original post it seems they do not meet the criteria. There was an extended thread on this posted here a few weeks ago. Having cirrhosis IS a vulnerable group as Katie has pointed out (in Chapter 14a of the NHS Green Book) however to meet the spring booster criteria, if under 75 you also need to meet the more limited crieria of being immunocompromised. It is confusing but they are being very strict on this under tight instructions to limit the vaccine to these most vulnerable groups.
Wow. I am so glad you posted this question. I have Hep C and I have just come out of hospital after being laid low with pneumonia following an infection I would normally just have shaken off. I think I can conclude that my immune system is not firing on all cylinders (even if it turns out I am not officially immunosuppressed). From the info AyshireK posted it looks like people with chronic hepatitis are eligible for the vaccine. I have contacted my liver nurse to ask.
Assuming I should be having the vaccination booster I do find it somewhat dispiriting that nobody in the NHS should have mentioned this to me given my pretty much constant treatment by them over recent weeks.
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