Jo Whiley 'so relieved' people with learning disabilities will be prioritised for Covid vaccine

The government has revealed that all people on the GP register with a learning disability will now be prioritised for the Covid vaccine, with presenter Jo Whiley whose sister was hospitalised with the virus, saying she is “so happy” and “so relieved”.

People with severe and profound learning disabilities were already part of group six, but the change by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) offering the vaccine to everyone on the GP Learning Disabilities Register, will give protection to 150,000 more people, according to Public Health England.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said: “Following the JCVI’s updated advice and to make this process simpler and faster, we will be inviting everyone for vaccination who is on their GP’s learning disability register. This will mean those who are at a higher risk from the virus can get the protection they need.”

The GP Learning Disability Register is designed to help people with learning disabilities get regular support, giving them access to longer appointments, annual health checks, information that is easier to access and free flu vaccinations. The Learning Disability Register is a record of people with a learning disability who are registered with each GP practice.

Disability groups such as Mencap have been loudly calling for people with learning disabilities to be prioritised for the vaccine and Mark Topps, who runs a care home for people with learning disabilities in Essex has also been campaigning for this in a petition signed by over 59,000 people. Mr Topps called the announcement “fantastic and extremely promising news”.

However it was Jo Whiley with her high public profile that really pushed the issue into the spotlight after her sister was hospitalised with COVID-19.

She voiced her upset on twitter and demanded to know why she had been offered the vaccine but her sister who has the rare Cri du Chat genetic syndrome and also suffers from diabetes had not been.

Huge numbers of people responded to her twitter updates and she spoke to Andrew Marr about how people with learning disabilities had been neglected and forgotten.

On being told of the change by the JCVI, Jo Whiley said: “I’m so relieved. I’m so happy for all those people who have been living in fear.

“I’m so grateful to the government for listening. All those people who have been feeling neglected, feeling like they don’t matter, like we don’t care, will now know we will be protecting them.”

Ms Whiley’s sister Frances is now out of hospital and recovering at home.

Jackie O'Sullivan, executive director of Communication, Advocacy & Activism at learning disability charity Mencap, called it a “hugely welcome announcement, and fantastic news for people with a learning disability. Now everyone on the GP Learning Disability Register can get access to the COVID vaccine.

“It's now crucially important that everyone with a learning disability checks that they are on the register and asks to go on it if they are not. Being on the register has many benefits and entitles people to annual health checks and prioritisation for future vaccinations, as well as allowing them to get the COVID vaccine and be confident they are protected.”