Warning issued to parents of schoolchildren about fake vaccine letters

The PHA said the vaccine form is fake.

A warning has been issued to parents of post-primary school children about fake vaccine letters. Numerous schools in Northern Ireland have received emails claiming to be from the NHS. Principals have spoken out about the fake vaccine consent letters. The Public Health Agency stressed that this is a hoax. The correspondence reportedly includes a "number of important inaccuracies". It also includes a "consent checklist" and tells schools to share the list with parents and pupils. Fake consent forms claim the vaccine puts children at risk of "strokes, blindness, deafness, clotting, miscarriages, anaphylaxis and cardiovascular disorders". The PHA has stressed that the form is completely fake and untrue. Schools should not forward the form to parents, it warned. It warned schools: "Materials include a branded 'consent form' has the look and feel of authoritative NHS communications using a made up NHS vaccines logo". "Please only forward to parents materials that have come from the PHA or your own Trust school nursing teams". Parents and schools have been urged to be extremely vigilant about fake correspondence like this letter. The PHA said it will contact schools with information in October. Information packs will "be delivered to schools in the second to third week of October to make sure that individuals, or those giving consent on their behalf, have enough information to enable them to make a decision before they give consent". 12-15-year-olds are set to receive the Covid-19 vaccine in Northern Ireland this December. 100,000 children will be offered the jab in the coming weeks. School children will be offered one dose of the Covid-19 in schools. It is believed Covid infection rates remain high among the 10-14 age group.