THE rollout of Covid-19 vaccination to the extremely vulnerable brings welcome relief to households across the country, but many Herefordshire families face continued anxiety as to how to protect their children in this high-risk group.

Across England there are more than 56,100 children under 18 on the Shielded Patient List of extremely vulnerable people, with 30 of those in Herefordshire, NHS Digital data shows.

But none of the approved vaccines have been tested for use on under 16s and will not be offered to them.

The list, which has been compiled using a clinical algorithm as well as GP referrals, includes people who have been identified as being most at risk of complications from coronavirus.

Of the 7,290 people on the list in Herefordshire, the largest age group of 2,090 patients is made up of people aged 70-79.

The Government says that children and young people have a very low risk of contracting severe or deadly Covid-19 compared to adults, however there is an increased risk of exposure to infection and outbreaks in institutional settings.

The Green Book, which has the latest information on vaccines in the UK, says: “Vaccination may be considered for children with serious neuro-disabilities (including cerebral palsy, severe autism and Down’s syndrome) who spend regular time in specialised residential care settings for children with complex needs.

“As older children have higher risk of acquiring and becoming sick from infection and there are some safety data on the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12 years and older, vaccination of older children in these settings should be considered.”

The Department of Health and Social Care declined to respond to specific questions about the vaccination options for families of younger, clinically vulnerable patients.

A spokesman said that very few children and young people were at risk of severe illness due to Covid and that doctors were reviewing those initially identified as clinically extremely vulnerable.