LONDON (Parliament Politics Magazine) – As part of the NHS’s spring booster initiative, almost 600,000 patients in England will be contacted to arrange an additional Covid booster this week.
Adults who are over 75 years old, care home residents, and the most vulnerable over-12s will receive the vaccine.
Approximately five million people in the United Kingdom will be eligible, with the first invitations being sent out on Monday.
It comes as the number of Covid cases in the UK continues to climb, with an estimated one infected person in every 20.
The UK’s vaccination advisors warned last month that an extra dosage might assist top up protection against severe Covid-19, as some immunity was expected to be eroding.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, asked people to “come forward as soon as you are contacted by the NHS.”
Only patients with very impaired immune systems were eligible for the four shots – three doses plus a booster – until recently.
A second booster will be available starting Monday, six months after the prior injection, to:
- adults who are 75 years of age and over
- residents in a care home for older adults
- individuals aged 12 years and over who have weakened immune systems
Hundreds of visits are planned in the coming weeks by local NHS teams to provide vaccinations at care homes.
Spring booster programmes have already begun in Wales and Scotland, with the same conditions. The Department of Health in Northern Ireland has stated that the spring booster vaccinations will be completed in the months of April and May.
Adults who are eligible will receive either the Pfizer or the Moderna vaccination, with those aged 12 to 18 receiving the Pfizer vaccine.
Amanda Pritchard, the chief executive of the NHS, stated that efforts to safeguard the public from Covid had not ceased.
Thanks to the efforts of the personnel, who were helped by volunteers, they were able to protect millions of people in a timely manner. They’ll rise to the next challenge once more, Ms Pritchard stated.
Vaccinating these populations was a “precautionary” measure, according to the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), and did not mean they were in any immediate risk.
However, because persons in these groups are more vulnerable to Covid-19, have poorer immune systems, and were last vaccinated in September or October 2021, their vaccination protection may be eroding more quickly.
“We must ensure those at greatest risk of serious illness from Covid are protected and spring boosters will top up people’s immunity,” said Maggie Throup, the government’s vaccinations minister.
According to figures released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics, one in every 20 people is infected.
Recent relaxation of limitations and diminishing vaccine protection are thought to be contributing to the rise, with BA.2 – a highly contagious sub-variant of Omicron – currently causing the majority of infections.
Hospitalisations are also on the rise, although experts say immunisations are still helping to prevent many severe cases.
Meanwhile, the government defends its Living with Covid approach, which removes all limitations in England and places the burden of proof on vaccinations and personal responsibility.
According to official research, booster doses have saved 157,000 hospitalisations since mid-December, with 32 million top-up shots given since the launch began in September of 2012.
The NHS also stated that first, second, and third doses are still available for those who have not yet had their Covid vaccine.
