Are you Immunosuppressed?
Immunosuppression means you have a weakened immune system due to a particular health condition or because you are on medication or treatment that is suppressing your immune system. People who are immunosuppressed, or have specific other medical conditions, have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases, including COVID-19.
Aneurin Bevan University Health Board would like to reassure those living with long term conditions and their loved ones, that we are here to support you in receiving the correct dosage of vaccination to protect you. We would also urge you to follow basic healthy measures such as meeting outdoors, wearing a mask inside closed areas, regular hand washing or sanitizing and ensuring those you meet with have used a lateral flow test beforehand and are negative to Covid-19.
What makes you immunosuppressed?
Immunosuppression includes people who had or may recently have had:
- a blood cancer (such as leukaemia or lymphoma)
- a weakened immune system, due to a treatment (such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
- an organ or bone marrow transplant
- a condition that means you have a very high risk of getting infections
- a condition or treatment your specialist advises makes you eligible for a third or fourth dose
What to do if you are immunosuppressed, or severely immunosuppressed..
- If you are immunosuppressed, you are eligible for a third dose of Covid-19 vaccine and a new treatment available, should you get Covid-19.
- If you are severely immunosuppressed, you are eligible for a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine and a new treatment available, should you get Covid-19.
- All those aged 5 to 11 who live with you are also eligible for two Covid-19 vaccinations, with an 8 week dose interval.
Treatments
New treatments for COVID-19 are available through the NHS for people aged 12 and over who have tested positive for COVID-19 and are at highest risk of getting seriously ill, in spite of being vaccinated.
This includes some people who have:
- Down’s syndrome
- a rare condition affecting the brain or nerves (including multiple sclerosis, motor neurone disease, Huntington’s disease or myasthenia gravis)
- sickle cell disease
- certain types of cancer
- HIV or AIDS
- a severe liver condition (such as cirrhosis)
- chronic kidney disease (CKD) stage 4 or 5
- had an organ transplant
- certain autoimmune or inflammatory conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis or inflammatory bowel disease)
- a condition or treatment that makes you more likely to get infections
- had certain types of chemotherapy in the last 12 months
- had radiotherapy in the last 6 months