Spring booster jab: How can elderly and vulnerable get next Covid vaccine?
A spring Covid-19 booster jab will soon be available to elderly and vulnerable people in the UK.
The government's vaccine committee - the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation - says the spring booster will enable the "most vulnerable to be well protected throughout the summer".
Who will be eligible?
People aged 75 and over
Care home residents
Anyone aged five and over who is immunosuppressed
When will the vaccine invites come?
People will be offered the vaccine around six months after their previous dose, with NHS England setting out the specific details of the programme at a later date.
Which vaccine options will be available?
Pfizer
Moderna
Sanofi/GSK
Novavax jab will also be available for use only when alternatives are not considered clinically suitable
Children under 12 will be offered a children's formulation of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine
Which vaccine people get will depend on local supply.
Is Covid still a risk?
The head of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency said the virus is "still circulating widely" and noted recent "increases in older people being hospitalised".
Dr Mary Ramsay added: "It is important those at highest risk of severe illness do not become complacent and I would encourage everyone who is eligible to come forward once the booster programme starts."
Professor Wei Shen Lim, chairman of the JCVI's Covid-19 committee, said: "Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself against Covid-19 and the spring booster programme provides an opportunity for those who are at highest risk of severe illness to keep their immunity topped up.
"This year's spring programme will bridge the gap to the planned booster programme in the autumn, enabling those who are most vulnerable to be well protected throughout the summer."
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