From today, around four million people most vulnerable to Covid-19 will start to be invited to book in their autumn booster vaccine.
Although infections are falling, health experts are predicting a resurgence of coronavirus this winter amid a possible worse flu season.
Two bivalent vaccines have been approved that can be used as boosters this autumn and winter – one from Moderna and the second from Pfizer.
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Here's everything you need to know about the autumn booster programme, from who is eligible to how you can book your appointment.
Who is eligible for the COVID autumn booster?
Frontline health and care workers, immunosuppressed people, and people aged over 75 are the highest priority for the booster. Adults aged 50 and over, those aged five to 49 with health conditions that put them at greater risk, and pregnant women will also be eligible for the jab at a later date.
Around 26 million people across England will be eligible for an autumn booster in total. This week has seen the jab rolled out at more than 1,000 care homes across the UK, with the NHS prioritising those most likely to get seriously ill from COVID.
When can I get the autumn booster jab?
From Wednesday, around seven million people in England will be able to book a jab. Those who are first in line for the jab are people aged 75 and over, the immunosuppressed and health and care workers.
Appointments will be available from September 12.
The NHS will contact people when it is their turn to book their vaccine.
It is recommended that you get the jab as early as possible. However, it needs to have been at least three months since your last jab, so those who received the spring booster jab will need to check how long it has been.
How can I book my jab?
For frontline health and care workers, immunosuppressed people, and people aged over 75, the National Booking Service will go live this morning, and people can book their jab through the site. Alternatively, eligible people can call 119 to book.
Where can I get the jab?
A record 3,100 sites are expected to be part of the rollout, including GP practices and community pharmacies, with new sites joining the programme making getting your booster jab as convenient as possible. 80 hospital hubs will also join the latest booster campaign – delivering the latest jab to members of the public as well as their own staff, and administering the flu vaccine where possible.
Which jabs have been approved to be used?
Two vaccines have been approved that can be used as boosters this autumn and winter – one from Moderna and the second from Pfizer. Both have been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to target both the original and Omicron strains of the virus.
Since the NHS made history delivering the first COVID-19 jab outside of clinical trials to Maggie Keenan in Coventry in December 2020, more than 126 million COVID-19 vaccines, including over 33 million top-up vaccinations, have been administered.
The autumn booster campaign is among a package of NHS measures to prepare for winter as the health service continues to face record demand on its urgent and emergency care services, including by ramping up bed capacity, increasing the number of 999 and NHS 111 staff, and working with colleagues in social care to ensure patients can be discharged in a timely manner.
Well over four in five eligible people received a spring booster earlier this year and the NHS urged those people to get that dose before the end of July to ensure enough time had passed to optimise the protection an autumn booster would provide over winter. The NHS will also be rolling out the flu vaccine and encouraging eligible people to take up the offer where possible.
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