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Covid: Who can have a booster jab and how can you get one? Covid: Who can have a booster jab and how can you get one?
(about 20 hours later)
All UK adults will be offered a Covid booster, the government has announced. The UK's Covid vaccine programme is being ramped up as a response to concerns about the newly identified Omicron variant.
Children aged 12 to 15 will also be offered a second vaccine dose. All UK adults will now be offered a booster jab, and a second vaccine dose will be offered to children aged 12-15.
Second jabs for children and boosters for millions Who's now eligible for a booster vaccine?
A series of changes have been announced by the government, amid concerns about a new Covid variant: The JCVI - the government's vaccine advisers - have recommended an expansion of the vaccine programme, with all adults now being offered a booster jab, three months after their second vaccine dose.
18- to 39-year-olds will be offered booster jabs A booster is an extra dose of vaccine, which prolongs protection, and can cut the risk of infection by more than 93%.
Boosters will be prioritised according to age and for at risk groups
The minimum gap between receiving a second Covid vaccine dose and booster will be halved to three months
Children aged 12 to 15 will be offered a second dose, three months after the first
Severely immunosuppressed people will be offered a fourth dose of the vaccine, as a booster
The booster will either be the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine
England's deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam said people should come forward "the moment you are called by the NHS", to help fight the Omicron variant.
How worrying is the new Covid variant?
What is a booster?
A booster is an extra dose of Covid vaccine, to prolong protection.
Three doses cuts the risk of infection by more than 93%, the UK Health Security Agency says.
This could be important as early evidence suggests the new Omicron variant has a higher re-infection risk than other strains.This could be important as early evidence suggests the new Omicron variant has a higher re-infection risk than other strains.
How many people are vaccinated in the UK? The booster will either be the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, regardless of what you received for your first two jabs.
How do I get a booster? How worrying is the new Covid variant?
How soon can I get the booster?
You can wait to be contacted, or - depending on where you live in the UK - book online, or call 119.You can wait to be contacted, or - depending on where you live in the UK - book online, or call 119.
Extending boosters to millions more people is a "huge step-up" says, Health Secretary Sajid Javid. He said there will be more details on how people will be invited for a third jab in the coming days. How soon you are contacted will depend on your age and whether you are in an at-risk group.
Currently, the NHS England website still says people need to wait 152 days after receiving the second vaccine before booking a booster. NHS England's booking website says it is still working on the plans, meaning booster jab appointments for 18-39s are not yet available to book.
Will the booster be effective against Omicron? A notice on the website says that it will be changed once the service is updated and advises people to wait to be contacted by the NHS.
Current vaccines are not a perfect match for Omicron and may not work as effectively. Is the booster effective against Omicron?
It's not yet known whether current vaccines work as effectively against the new variant.
However, when faced with other Covid variants, such as Delta, the vaccines have still been able to reduce the risk of severe illness.However, when faced with other Covid variants, such as Delta, the vaccines have still been able to reduce the risk of severe illness.
How many people have had a booster If necessary, pharmaceutical companies say they could update vaccines to match the Omicron variant in around 100 days.
The latest data show more than 17.5 million booster jabs have been given in the UK. How many people have already had a booster?
People with all three vaccines have reached 31% The latest data show almost 17.9 million booster jabs have been given in the UK.
However, there are 7.8 million people who had their second dose at least six months ago - and are therefore eligible for their booster - but are yet to receive one. Another 7.8 million people are eligible for their booster but have yet to receive one.
Despite 500 new vaccination sites opening since April, the rate of vaccination dropped from a peak of nearly 800,000 a day in March 2021, to under 500,000 currently.Despite 500 new vaccination sites opening since April, the rate of vaccination dropped from a peak of nearly 800,000 a day in March 2021, to under 500,000 currently.
What if I'm ill or have had Covid? The government has particularly urged pregnant women to come forward to be vaccinated. New figures show that 1,714 pregnant women were admitted to hospital with Covid between 1 February and the end of September, 98% of whom were unvaccinated.
If you've tested positive for Covid, you must wait four weeks (28 days) before having the booster, counting from the date of the test. How many people are vaccinated in the UK?
You should not have the booster if you have a severe illness or high fever. However, patient information from both Pfizer and Moderna says a mild fever or a cold are not reasons to delay. The vaccine fertility myths that just won't go away
Does the booster dose show up in the NHS app? People with all three vaccines have reached 31%
If you're aged 16 or over, the NHS App generates an NHS Covid Pass which can be used to prove your vaccination status in the UK or abroad (not to be confused with the NHS Covid-19 app which alerts you if you've been close to someone with the virus).
The NHS Covid Pass now also records whether users in England have had a booster dose. This will not be immediately available through the Covid Pass letter service, which will be updated in due course.
Boosters will appear on the Covid Pass in Wales from 29 November.
Who needs a Covid passport and how do I get one?
Which children are being vaccinated?Which children are being vaccinated?
All 16 and 17-year-olds can now book a second dose of the Pfizer jab - this should be given at least 12 weeks after their first.All 16 and 17-year-olds can now book a second dose of the Pfizer jab - this should be given at least 12 weeks after their first.
All 12 to 15-year-olds in the UK are being currently offered a single Pfizer Covid jab and will be offered a second three months after the first.All 12 to 15-year-olds in the UK are being currently offered a single Pfizer Covid jab and will be offered a second three months after the first.
In Scotland, 12- to 15-year-olds are being invited to make an appointment or get vaccinated at drop-in centres
In England teenagers can have their jab at school, or book an appointment at a vaccination centre, some of which also offer a drop-in service
In Wales, vaccination centres are also being used
In Northern Ireland jabs are expected to roll out through schools during November
There is no vaccine currently approved for under-12s in the UK.There is no vaccine currently approved for under-12s in the UK.
Will children's Covid jabs be compulsory? Why are 12-15s now being double-jabbed?
What difference will jabbing young teens make?What difference will jabbing young teens make?
What about pregnant women? Is the vaccine compulsory?
The government has also highlighted the particular risks facing pregnant women. New figures show that, of the 1,714 pregnant women admitted to hospital with Covid between 1 February and the end of September, 98% weren't vaccinated. No, but all frontline NHS staff in England (with some exemptions) will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid by 1 April.
More than 98% of those admitted to intensive care over the same period were unvaccinated. Care home staff in England must now be vaccinated (unless they are exempted).
England's Chief Medical Office Professor Chris Whitty has urged every woman who is pregnant (or planning to become pregnant) to get their jab: Scotland and Wales require Covid passports to enter some venues and events, as do a number of foreign countries.
"All the medical opinion is really clear that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks in every area." In England and Wales you can prove you've been vaccinated with an NHS Covid Pass. This also now records whether you have received your booster.
Rise in pregnant women needing Covid ICU treatment The equivalent pass for Scotland is the NHS Scotland Covid Status App, and in Northern Ireland it's the COVIDCert NI app.
Carrie Johnson urges pregnant women to get vaccine Who needs a Covid passport and how do I get one?
The vaccine fertility myths that just won't go away
What are the vaccine rules for NHS staff?
All frontline NHS staff in England will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid by 1 April.
There will be exemptions for medical reasons and for those who don't have face-to-face contact with patients.
Care home staff in England had until Thursday 11 November to get vaccinated (unless they had a medical exemption).
These rules only apply in England.
Vaccination is not compulsory for other people in the UK, although people who've had two doses don't need to self-isolate after contact with a positive case.
Scotland and Wales also require Covid passports to enter some venues and events, as do a number of foreign countries.
How do I book my first or second vaccine?How do I book my first or second vaccine?
In England, anyone aged 16 or over can book first or second jabs online, by calling 119, or visiting a walk-in clinicIn England, anyone aged 16 or over can book first or second jabs online, by calling 119, or visiting a walk-in clinic
In Scotland, over-16s can register for their first or second vaccine online, or by calling 0800 030 8013; over-12s can go to drop-in vaccination clinicsIn Scotland, over-16s can register for their first or second vaccine online, or by calling 0800 030 8013; over-12s can go to drop-in vaccination clinics
In Wales, adults should contact their local health board if they've not been offered their first two dosesIn Wales, adults should contact their local health board if they've not been offered their first two doses
In Northern Ireland, you can book online or call 0300 200 7813; walk-in centres are open to older teenagersIn Northern Ireland, you can book online or call 0300 200 7813; walk-in centres are open to older teenagers
Which vaccine will I get?
People who are under 40 or pregnant are being offered Pfizer or Moderna rather than Oxford-AstraZeneca, because of a possible connection with extremely rare cases of blood clots.
Under-18s are currently being offered Pfizer, although the Moderna vaccine has also been authorised for use in children.
Most boosters will be one dose of Pfizer or a half-dose of Moderna, regardless of which jab you initially received.
What about side effects?What about side effects?
The most common ones include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.The most common ones include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.
They are part of the body's normal immune response to vaccines and tend to resolve within a day or two.They are part of the body's normal immune response to vaccines and tend to resolve within a day or two.
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Why it is normal for some people to experience short-term side effects from Covid-19 vaccinesWhy it is normal for some people to experience short-term side effects from Covid-19 vaccines
There are extremely rare, but occasionally fatal, cases of people developing blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.There are extremely rare, but occasionally fatal, cases of people developing blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Separately, a very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.Separately, a very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
You should discuss any existing serious allergies with your healthcare professional before being vaccinated.You should discuss any existing serious allergies with your healthcare professional before being vaccinated.
Covid vaccines and rare clots - what do we know?Covid vaccines and rare clots - what do we know?