From Friday October 14, over-50s in England, which amount to 12 million people, will be able to book their Covid booster and flu jabs. In Wales and Northern Ireland, over-50s are already eligible for both, while Scotland is planning to offer the combination soon.
Covid cases are rising and people were warned last week to avoid friends and family if they felt unwell.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of Covid-19 vaccination at the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), said: “Last year’s autumn booster vaccination programme provided excellent protection against severe Covid-19, including against the Omicron variant.
“We have provided interim advice on an autumn booster programme for 2022 so that the NHS and care homes are able to start the necessary operational planning, to enable high levels of protection for more vulnerable individuals and frontline healthcare staff over next winter.”
He also said that the advice will be updated as JCVI continues to review the scientific data. So who is going to get the fourth vaccine later this year?
Who will be offered the Covid booster in autumn?
The following groups of people should already have been offered the Covid booster in autumn:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and staff
- Frontline health and social care workers
- Everyone 65 years of age and over
- Adults aged 16 to 64 years who are in a clinical risk group
- Pregnant people
- Household contacts of people with weakened immune systems
Older people and people with underlying health conditions, especially people who are immunosuppressed, have been disproportionately affected by Covid throughout the pandemic, so prioritising people in these groups aims to protect them from becoming severely unwell.
From today, over-50s will join these groups. People in these groups can expect to receive a letter inviting them to a vaccine appointment. If they don’t receive a letter but are eligible, they can book an appointment via the NHS website or by phoning 119.
