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Covid booster: Who can get another jab this winter? Who can get a Covid booster this spring and how can you book?
(4 months later)
Covid vaccine rules are changing, but those most at risk can have another jab this winter. A spring Covid booster is being offered to those most at risk from the virus across the UK.
All adults aged 65 years and over are being offered the vaccine automatically, following advice from UK immunisation experts. Some pharmacies have also started selling the jab privately.
In 2022, boosters were offered to all people over 50. Who can have a spring Covid booster?
Who can have an winter Covid booster? Fewer people are entitled to a spring booster than were offered a jab during the autumn campaign.
At the moment you can only get the Covid vaccine via the NHS if you meet certain criteria. You cannot buy it privately, although Moderna hopes its vaccine will be available to buy in 2024. The eligible groups are:
The following groups can have a winter booster: adults who will be aged 75 years and over by 30 June 2024
residents in care homes for older adults people in care homes for older adults
all adults aged 65 years and over (by 31 March 2024) individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed
people aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk group Vaccines will be available at pharmacies, GP practices and some drop-in vaccination centres.
frontline health and social care workers How do I book a spring booster?
people aged 12 to 64 who are household contacts of people with weakened immune systems The NHS is sending texts, emails, NHS App messages or letters to those who are eligible but you do not have to wait for the invite.
people aged 16 to 64 who are carers and staff working in care homes for older adults Those who qualify can book an appointment via the NHS App, the NHS website, by calling 119, or by visiting a drop-in clinic.
pregnant women Those at highest risk are being invited first.
In autumn 2022, all over-50s were offered an extra dose, but the government's advisers on vaccines recommended that only over-65s should automatically be included this year. You will generally be invited to have your booster around six months after your last dose but you can have it after three months.
WHO charts rapid spread of new JN.1 Covid variant Spring vaccinations will be available until 30 June.
Why Covid is still flooring some people NHS England: Covid vaccination
How do I book my Covid booster? NHS Scotland: Covid vaccination
The NHS has been contacting eligible people. Public Health Wales: Covid vaccination
You can no longer book a Covid jab online or by calling NHS 119 - but you may be able to with a local NHS vaccination service or you can find a walk-in site. NI Direct: Covid vaccination
This round of seasonal Covid jabs will be available until 31 January 2024.
As before, anyone also eligible for a free flu jab may receive it at the same time.
You can check if you qualify for a flu vaccine on the NHS website.
Which vaccine will people get?Which vaccine will people get?
Vaccines from four different companies are in use across the UK: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax.Vaccines from four different companies are in use across the UK: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax.
Most people can have any of them, but those who are pregnant, under 18 or over 75, will be offered a particular jab. Those getting the spring booster will be given an mRNA vaccine made by either Pfizer or Moderna. Both have been updated to help protect against more recent strains of Covid.
If you are not in one of those categories, you cannot choose which vaccine you get.
People are advised to take whichever they are offered, as all provide protection against severe illness or death.People are advised to take whichever they are offered, as all provide protection against severe illness or death.
Covid vaccine safety - What we knowCovid vaccine safety - What we know
What if I have not had a Covid jab before?
If you meet the criteria for a booster but have not had either of the first two doses of the vaccine - or a third dose for those with a weakened immune system - the government recommends getting a jab during the 2024 spring campaign.
Similarly, if you qualify but missed an earlier booster dose, you can have another jab this spring to catch up.
If you have a severely weakened immune system, your doctor may advise you to have an extra dose three months after the spring booster.
Covid jab skipped by 44%, entire UK study finds
Can I buy a Covid vaccine?
A number of high street chemists and private clinics have started selling and administering the Pfizer Covid vaccine directly to the public.
They range in price from around £45 to £99.
You need to be aged 12 or above, and have not had a Covid vaccine in the previous three months. You also need to talk to a health professional to check that it is suitable.
A protein-based booster vaccine made by Novavax, which works differently to the Pfizer and Moderna jabs, should also be available to buy soon.
Moderna is also hoping to launch a combined flu and Covid vaccine in 2025.
How long after having Covid can I have a jab?How long after having Covid can I have a jab?
If you have Covid, or think you might, NHS advice is to delay vaccination until you feel better.If you have Covid, or think you might, NHS advice is to delay vaccination until you feel better.
It also recommends waiting if you have a high temperature or feel otherwise unwell with any illness.It also recommends waiting if you have a high temperature or feel otherwise unwell with any illness.
But there's no need to wait if you have recently recovered from Covid and feel well. But there is no need to wait if you have recently recovered from Covid and feel well.
The vaccines do not infect people with Covid and cannot cause positive test results.The vaccines do not infect people with Covid and cannot cause positive test results.
What to do if you have CovidWhat to do if you have Covid
How are the rules changing about who can get the Covid vaccine? Why Covid is still flooring some people
At the moment, the only people who can get vaccinated for the first time are children aged between six months and four years, who are at increased risk from Covid.
When the Covid jab was introduced, people needed two doses to be considered safely vaccinated.
However, from autumn 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has said only one jab will be required. Only people in the categories that are entitled to the autumn 2023 booster will be eligible.
People with weakened immune systems may be entitled to additional doses.
NHS England: Covid vaccination
NHS Scotland: Covid vaccination
Public Health Wales: Covid vaccination
NI Direct: Covid vaccination
What are the side effects of the Covid vaccine?What are the side effects of the Covid vaccine?
For most people side effects are mild. The most common include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea. For most people, side effects are mild. The most common include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.
They are part of the body's normal immune response to vaccination, and tend to resolve within a day or two. They are part of the body's normal immune response to vaccination and tend to resolve within a day or two.
This video can not be playedThis video can not be played
To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser.
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
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
Very rarely myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle - has been linked to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.Very rarely myocarditis - inflammation of the heart muscle - has been linked to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
It has also been listed as a rare possible side effect of the Novavax vaccine, after a very small number of cases were reported during clinical trials.It has also been listed as a rare possible side effect of the Novavax vaccine, after a very small number of cases were reported during clinical trials.
There have also been extremely rare, but occasionally fatal, cases of people developing blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.There have also been extremely rare, but occasionally fatal, cases of people developing blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.
A very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine.A very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine.
Patients with serious allergies should talk to their healthcare professional before being vaccinated.Patients with serious allergies should talk to their healthcare professional before being vaccinated.
What misinformation has there been about Covid vaccines? German patient vaccinated against Covid 217 times
False and misleading claims about Covid vaccines have circulated online since they were first introduced. Most wrongly argue the jabs are not safe.
A number of social media accounts with lots of followers have repeatedly misrepresent real stats and studies to do this.
Former Conservative MP Andrew Bridgen was expelled from the party after comparing the side effects of Covid vaccines to the Holocaust, and breaching lobbying rules.
However, for most people, the evidence shows that the benefits of vaccination significantly outweigh the risks.
In fact, you are more likely to develop serious conditions including myocarditis from having Covid than from getting the vaccine.
Studies confirm young people do not have an increased risk of other heart problems after taking the vaccine.
Others strands of disinformation wrongly suggest that negative things that have happened to people after they were vaccinated were caused by the injection.
Died Suddenly, a film from far-right US radio DJ Stew Peters, which promotes anti-vaccine conspiracy theories, has been found to drive harassment of bereaved families in the US, the UK and Ireland.
How many people have been vaccinated against Covid?
Across the UK, by May 2023, nearly 176 million Covid vaccines had been given.
About 88% of people in the UK over the age of 12 (58 million) are thought to have had both a first and second dose of a vaccine, with 93% receiving a single jab.
A small number of children aged five to 11 (fewer than one million as of September 2022) had received a first and second dose of a coronavirus jab.
These numbers are based on the Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates for 2021, and vaccine data from up to 7 May in Scotland and 5 May for the other UK nations.
In July 2022, an influential committee of MPs warned that Covid vaccine take-up had been too low for several important groups, including pregnant women, younger people and those from some ethnic backgrounds.
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