COVID-19 Autumn booster and flu vaccine programme expansion
The COVID-19 Autumn booster should be offered to the following groups:
- Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
- Frontline health and social care workers
- All adults aged 50 years and over
- Persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, as set out in the Green Book
- Persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
- Persons aged 16 to 49 years who are carers, as set out in the Green Book.
A full copy of the advice can be found here.
Expansion to the flu vaccine programme
The following groups will now be offered the free NHS flu vaccine to help protect more people and reduce admissions to hospital this winter.
To ensure those most at risk from COVID-19 and flu are protected first, the timing for offering the flu vaccine to these additional groups will be announced in due course, but is likely to be later in the flu season.
The additional groups announced by Government are:
- Secondary school children in years 7, 8 and 9 who will be offered the vaccine in order of school year (starting with the youngest first). This group are likely to be offered vaccination later in the year once children age 2 and 3 and primary school age children have been vaccinated.
- 50 to 64 year olds that are not in a clinically at-risk group, who are likely to be offered vaccination later in the year once people that are more vulnerable to COVID-19 and flu, including those in clinically at-risk groups have been offered their vaccine.
The NHS will announce when people aged 50 to 64 years not in a clinical at risk will be able to book an appointment or request their free NHS flu vaccine.
