Booster shots to be offered next week in UK

Covid booster jabs will begin to be offered across the UK from next week.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said he had accepted advice from the JCVI that around 30m people should be offered a third dose – Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have followed suit.

The booster should be given at least six months after a second dose – with the Pfizer jab recommended.

Those eligible include over-50s, younger adults with health conditions and frontline health and care workers. Mr Javid made the announcement in the Commons as part of an autumn and winter plan for managing Covid in England. Scotland will begin offering booster jabs for the broader group from Monday, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said. She said the programme “was intended to prolong the protection” of vaccines and will run alongside the flu vaccination programme.

The recommendation from the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) comes amid concern about waning immunity. There are some signs protection offered by the vaccine may start dropping off several months after the second dose – with the most vulnerable groups most at risk of this. In his statement, Mr Javid told MPs: “There is evidence that the protection offered by Covid-19 vaccines reduces over time, particularly older people who are at greater risk, so booster doses are an important way of keeping the virus under control for the long term.” The JCVI said it was still unclear exactly how much protection does slip, but it wanted to take a precautionary approach and ensure the most vulnerable people maintain high levels of protection. The advice is separate to the recent recommendation of third doses for people with severely weakened immune systems – something that is already being rolled out.

Those eligible for a booster jab include: