NHS Covid booster jabs will soon be available to people born before a specific year in the UK. The autumn booster scheme is set to start on October 3 and run until December 20, with eligibility criteria including individuals born in 1960 or earlier. Census data indicates that there were approximately 12.7 million individuals aged over 65 in the UK in 2021, most of whom will be eligible for the booster jab.
Those eligible for the booster jab include individuals over 64 years old, those between six months and 64 years old with underlying health conditions, elderly care home residents and staff, as well as frontline health and social care workers. The NHS will be reaching out to qualifying patients directly, but individuals can also book appointments through various channels such as the NHS App, GPs, pharmacies, drop-in clinics, or by calling 119 in exceptional cases.
It is important to note that individuals eligible for the flu jab may be offered this alongside the Covid booster, but it is advised not to receive the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine concurrently with a flu or Covid jab. The NHS Covid booster jabs are being provided by four companies – Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK, and Novavax, with the vaccines being updated to protect against recent Covid strains.
High street chemists and private clinics may also offer the Pfizer Covid vaccine directly to the public for a fee ranging from £45 to £99. To qualify for these vaccines, individuals must be aged 12 or above and should not have received a Covid vaccine in the past three months. The vaccination rollout aims to bolster immunity in the population ahead of the winter season, providing vital protection against Covid-19.