NHS England have provided Andrew with the following update on the Autumn COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine programme as part of the NHS’s winter plan.
Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the following people will be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine this autumn:
• frontline health and social care workers
• all adults aged 50 years and over
• persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, as set out in the Green Book
• persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
• persons aged 16 to 49 years who are carers, as set out in the Green Book.
Andrew explains, "The NHS will become the first healthcare system in the world to use the next generation, bivalent COVID vaccine (which targets two different variants of coronavirus) when rollout starts in early September.
"I am informed that, starting during the week of 5 September, NHS staff will begin vaccinating care home residents and people who are housebound. In addition, the National Booking Service will also open that week ahead of the wider rollout, due to start on the 12 September, with the NHS inviting those who are most susceptible to serious illness from COVID-19 and those aged 75 and over to book an appointment from that week.
I understand that, as before, the oldest and most vulnerable will be called forward first, with people able to book in online or through 119 as long as it has been three months since their last dose. In addition, the NHS will continue to advise local sites to allow immunosuppressed patients to self-declare and attend walk-ins to make getting the extra protection as easy as possible."
