Which groups could be offered a further Covid booster vaccine in Autumn?
Millions of people in the UK could be given another booster Covid jab in the autumn under guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
The committee says a booster may be necessary in order to maintain the "protection" of certain groups throughout the winter.
Who could be offered the booster?
The JCVI’s current view is that in autumn 2022, a booster should be offered to:
Residents and staff in a care home for older adults
Frontline health and social care workers
All those 65 years of age and over
Adults aged 16 to 64 years who are in a clinical risk group
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When will the rollout be confirmed?
The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said it would consider the JCVI's final recommendations later this year, adding: “We have asked the NHS in England to begin preparations to ensure they are ready to deploy Covid vaccines to those eligible.”
How many people are getting severely ill because of Covid?
Fatalities in the UK caused by Covid-19 have dropped dramatically since the rollout of vaccines, with thousands of people still catching the virus but very few of them getting severely ill.
There were 17 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive Covid-19 test on Wednesday.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid has previously suggested that many of those dying whilst having coronavirus are not dying because of it, but because they are suffering with a more serious illness at the same time.
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of Covid-19 vaccination on the 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."