Great to read that some of our UK transplanted patients, like Paul Matthews, are now vaccinated. You may be aware solid organ transplant recipients and now also adults on dialysis or with chronic kidney disease (stage 5) are eligible for vaccines. We have one of our trustees – Colin Baigent (an Alport and transplant patient himself) and others – who worked hard to achieve this liaising with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). You may not be aware that a statement was published this week that allows increased flexibility to offer vaccination to partners and household members of such individuals as well, on an opportunistic basis, if there is vaccine available. This is not an automatic entitlement, but allows a degree of flexibility for vaccinators if the local situation allows for this.
We attach a copy of the statement below for relatives of a transplant patient to take this to take to your local GP surgeries. Please note, relatives need to understand that it is OK to ask, but they cannot be guaranteed to get a vaccine straight away.
Statement for relatives of a transplant patient to take to local GP surgeries