The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has announced its advice in relation to details surrounding the eligibility of this autumn’s COVID-19 booster vaccine.
As the UK COVID-19 vaccination programme enters its third autumn season, the Committee has advised offering the booster to those at high risk of serious disease and who are therefore more likely to benefit from the vaccination.
This includes all adults aged 65 years and older, residents in care homes for older adults, those aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, those aged 16 to 64 years who are carers and staff working in care homes for adults.
The COVID-19 booster vaccine helps to protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from COVID-19.
Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at the UK Health Security Agency, said the COVID-19 virus is “circling more widely over the winter months, with the numbers of people getting ill increasing”.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of COVID-19 immunisation on the JCVI, said: “It is important that everyone who is eligible takes up a booster this autumn – helping to prevent them from hospitalisations and deaths arising.”
Around 73.2% of people aged 65 to 70 years in England were vaccinated in last year’s autumn booster programme, and this increased to 83.7% in those aged over 80 years.
Those who received the booster vaccine were around 53% less likely to be admitted to hospital with the virus in the two to four weeks following vaccination, compared to those who did not receive a booster.
According to the JCVI, the autumn 2023 programme should aim to complete vaccinations by early December to maximise the potential benefits ahead of the winter season.
The Committee has recognised that there is a need for operational flexibility when offering the booster vaccines, considering factors like vaccine supply, and has advised that primary course COVID-19 vaccination for those who have not received any COVID-19 vaccine before should consist of a single dose of the vaccine, following the same eligibility terms as the autumn 2023 booster.
Details of when eligible people can access the autumn booster vaccine will be confirmed by NHS England in due course.