Image source, Getty Images
By Jennifer Clarke
BBC News
There have been changes to the rules regarding Covid vaccines, but those who are most at risk will be offered another dose this autumn. All adults aged 65 and above will automatically be offered the vaccine, as advised by UK immunisation experts. In 2022, boosters were offered to all adults over 50.
The following groups are eligible for an autumn Covid booster:
– Residents in care homes for older adults
– All adults aged 65 and above
– People aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
– Frontline health and social care workers
– People aged 12 to 64 who are household contacts of people with weakened immune systems
– People aged 16 to 64 who are carers and staff working in care homes for older adults
While in 2022, all adults over 50 were offered an additional dose, this year the government’s vaccine advisers recommended that only those aged 65 and above should automatically be included.
To book a Covid booster, the NHS will contact those who are eligible. In England, people can book their appointment through the NHS website, the NHS app, or by calling 119 from 18 September. The government aims to vaccinate as many people as possible by 31 October.
Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland have also accelerated their booster rollouts.
Those who are eligible for a free flu jab may receive it at the same time as the Covid booster.
There are four different vaccines being used in the UK: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK, and Novavax. All of them provide improved protection compared to earlier versions and offer longer-term protection against severe illness from Covid-19. Most people can receive any of these vaccines, but specific jabs will be offered to pregnant individuals, those under 18, or those over 75.
If you’re not in one of those categories, you don’t have the option to choose the vaccine you receive. It is advised to take whichever vaccine you are offered, as they all protect against severe illness or death.
After testing positive for Covid, it is recommended to wait at least four weeks before getting the vaccine, even if you had no symptoms. Individuals with severe illness or a high fever should not receive the vaccine. The vaccines do not cause Covid infection and cannot lead to positive test results.
Approximately 88% of people in the UK aged 12 and above (58 million) have received both their first and second vaccine doses, with 93% receiving at least one dose. A small number of individuals aged five to 11 (less than one million as of September 2022) have received both doses. These numbers are based on Office for National Statistics mid-year population estimates for 2021 and vaccine data from up to 7 May in Scotland and 5 May for the other UK nations.
The rules regarding who can receive the Covid vaccine are changing. Currently, primary vaccine doses are only available to children aged between six months and four years who are at higher risk from Covid. From autumn 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has stated that only one dose will be needed for primary protection. Only those eligible for the autumn 2023 booster will be eligible for primary vaccination. Individuals with weakened immune systems may be entitled to additional doses.
Side effects of the Covid vaccine are a normal part of the body’s immune response and usually resolve within a day or two. Rare cases of heart problems have been reported with the Novavax vaccine during clinical trials. Patients with severe allergies should consult their healthcare professional before getting vaccinated.
Misinformation about Covid vaccines has been circulating online since their introduction. Many false claims argue that the vaccines are not safe. Some social media accounts with a large following regularly misinterpret real statistics and studies in order to support these claims.
It has been confirmed through studies that young people do not have an increased risk of other heart problems after receiving the vaccine. Other forms of misinformation falsely suggest that negative events that occur after vaccination are caused by the injection.