The new Moderna bivalent vaccine, which has been designed to target the original coronavirus virus and Omicron variant, will be rolled out from September 5, initially for care home residents and those housebound. The Daily Mirror reports around 26 million people across England will be eligible for an autumn booster in line with guidance set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
All adults over 50, younger people with health conditions that put them at highest risk, carers and those who live with the clinically vulnerable will be eligible for a jab. An updated Pfizer vaccine that works in a similar way could receive UK approval in the next few weeks, but the NHS is not guaranteeing that everyone will get the newer vaccines. The original Moderna and Pfizer jabs will be offered if vaccine centres run out of supplies of the new ones.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: "When the time comes I would strongly encourage anyone who is invited to take up both an autumn booster and flu jab to do so as quickly as possible. It will give you maximum protection this winter.
"The NHS was the first healthcare system in the world to deliver a Covid-19 vaccine outside of clinical trials, and will now be the first to deliver the new, variant-busting vaccine when the rollout begins at the start of September.
"Our fantastic NHS staff have worked incredibly hard to deliver 126 million doses to date and behind the scenes they have once again been preparing to deliver the latest phase with the same speed and precision as we have had throughout the rollout."
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