Health Secretary Steve Barclay, has ordered that some 26 million UK residents should be jabbed with the new 'variant-busting' Covid booster by December - to ease seasonal pressure on the National Health Service.
However, there are no plans as of yet to administer a fourth dose to those under the age of 50, NHS England has confirmed.
The vaccine to protect the most vulnerable against Omicron will begin its roll out in a week - the same day that Liz Truss is expected to be confirmed at the new UK prime minister.
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The Mirror reports that as of yet, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has decreed that no younger age groups than the most vulnerable should be offered the extra layer of protection. An NHS England source, said: “They decide who is eligible for the jabs and we deliver them.”
Independent SAGE chair, Deenan Pillay, argues that instead of dishing out fourth jabs, ministers should in fact concentrate on the one in ten who are still yet to receive their first. The virologist, added: “It’s much more important for people who haven’t been vaccinated to get vaccinated. This booster won’t be a game changer.”
The NHS will be the first healthcare system across the globe to use a bivalent, which protects both against the prevalent Omicron strain and the original virus types. Staff of care homes and residents alike, as well as those who are housebound will be the first in line to receive their jab starting a week today.
And the following week, the National Booking Service will be open for those aged 75 and over to determine an appointment. Those who are immunosuppressed will also be able to walk into their local GP surgery or pharmacy to have their dose on request.
NHS boss Amanda Pritchard said: “I strongly encourage anyone who is invited to take up an autumn booster and flu jab to do so quickly. It will give you maximum protection this winter.”
NHS vaccination director, Steve Russell, added: “This winter will be the first time we see the real effects of both Covid and flu in full circulation.”
The roll out will then be offered to over 50s and over 5s in clinical risk groups, with boosters containing either the newly developed Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccines. Over 126million Covid-19 vaccines have been distributed since 92-year-old Maggie Keenan became the first in the world to receive hers outside a trial - jabbed in Coventry in December 2020.
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