On Friday the British Transplantation Society (BTS) published a position statement to support vaccination for transplant recipients and those who are on the waiting list.

Whilst solid organ transplant recipients were not included in clinical trials, given experience with other vaccinations, there is no evidence to suggest that any of the available vaccinations for COVID-19 would not be safe and protective in this group of patients.

Solid organ transplant recipients are designated as extremely clinically vulnerable. The advice for this group is that people of all ages should be offered the vaccine at the same time as people aged 70-74 years of age, with the exception of pregnant women with heart disease and children under 16 years of age, unless such children are at high risk of exposure and serious outcomes. In these cases, an individual risk versus benefits of vaccination is recommended. Vaccination in pregnancy is currently not recommended.

The BTS position statement will be reviewed and updated as new advice and guidance becomes available.

Read the full statement here: https://bts.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/December-2020-BTS-position-statement-vaccination-in-solid-organ-transplant-recipients-FINAL-002.pdf