Redbridge Council is urging parents to continue to vaccinate their children during the coronavirus pandemic while surgeries have put in place safety measures to reduce the risk of infection.

This is in response to advice recently issued by Public Health England which stressed the importance of vaccinating babies and toddlers to protect them from a host of diseases.

Gladys Xavier, director of public health at Redbridge Council, said: “We completely understand that parents might be reluctant to get their children vaccinated during the pandemic.

“However, it’s essential these immunisations still go ahead. They can protect them against a wide range of serious diseases so these appointments should remain a top priority.

“Fortunately, the evidence we’ve seen so far indicates that Covid-19 doesn’t affect babies in the same way that it does with adults.”

Doctors’ surgeries across the borough have put in place appropriate measures to reduce any risks of parents becoming infected when they attend to get their children vaccinated.

Surgeries are also prioritisng routine childhood immunisations from eight weeks up to and including vaccines due at one year of age, pertussis vaccination in pregnancy and pneumococcal vaccination for those in risk groups.

The council stressed routine vaccinations should be attended unless you or your child is unwell, in which case you should check with your GP first or if you are self-isolating because you or your child have been in contact with someone with Covid-19.