Over-50s will 'probably' get a fourth Covid vaccine dose this autumn, Sajid Javid declared today.
The Health Secretary gave the strongest hint yet that there will be a wider rollout of ’second boosters’ - fourth doses overall - as cases rise and immunity wanes.
It comes as it emerged the NHS was planning for a range of scenarios in a rollout between September and December - with eligible groups ranging from over-65s and NHS care staff to all over-50s.
People aged 75 and over, and immunosuppressed over-12s and adults, have been able to book a Spring booster since 7am today - as long as it’s at least six months since their last dose.
For most people this will be their fourth dose, though for some immunosuppressed people it will be their fifth.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is still debating whether to extend fourth doses more widely.
The JCVI has said a wider fourth dose rollout could be limited to some groups, and not be offered to all adults like the last booster programme.
The experts said last month: "A further booster in the autumn of 2022 is likely to be advised for people who are at higher risk of severe COVID-19.
"It remains too early to set out precise details of what that programme may look like, but the committee will provide more definitive advice in due course."
Today however, Mr Javid suggested that group was likely to be over-50s.
He told BBC Breakfast the JCVI has said “it's possible there will be an autumn booster campaign, probably for those that are 50 and over, but they haven't yet made a final recommendation on that."
And it emerged the NHS in England has been told to prepare for a 15-week autumn Covid campaign from September to December.
The NHS England planning document says the health service should prepare for a "minimum scenario" to offer vaccination to groups 1 to 6 as set down by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
This includes care home residents and staff, frontline NHS and social care workers, people deemed at risk due to underlying health conditions plus all those aged 65 and over.
A "maximum scenario" includes everyone aged 50 and over.
On Saturday Boris Johnson hinted the jab will be extended to more people later on this year at the Tory Spring Conference in Blackpool.
He said: "I hope you've all had your boosters. We're getting ready for a fourth jab, because we're going to need it."
He added that, despite rising Covid cases, the Government's "level of concern hasn't changed".
He said: "Our level of concern hasn't changed and that's because, although case numbers are rising, infections are rising and indeed hospital numbers are rising, they are still way below their peak.
"And it's also important for us when we review this, to understand why they are rising and that is primarily due to the increased social mixing we're seeing after the country's opened up, but also the BA.2 sub-variant of Omicron which we know is on the one hand more infectious but, on the other hand, we know that our vaccines work just as well against this sub-variant.
"And so, taking all that into account, of course we keep the data under review, but there's no particular cause for concern at this point."
Speaking to Times Radio, Mr Javid said 11,500 people in English hospitals have Covid-19 but the majority of them have not been admitted because of the virus.
He said the NHS "estimates almost 60% are not there because of Covid - they are there for something else."
He added: "That might be a hip operation or something, but they happen to be Covid-positive."
The Health Secretary stressed, however, that people with Covid symptoms should "socialise a bit less, stay indoors" and and wait until they feel better.
He said it would be down to the individual to decide whether or not to take a test after free testing for all adults in England ends on April 1.
"Post-April 1 if people have Covid symptoms, then they should just behave sensibly - like you would expect someone to really behave if they had flu symptoms in the past - and that is to socialise a bit less, stay indoors and and wait till you feel better," he said.
Mr Javid said there was a "need to step back and think about how we learn to live with Covid and focus on our very best form of defence and that's the vaccination programme".
