In continuation of the NHS Covid vaccine programme, Covid jabs for five and six-year olds will be available at the local vaccination centres or community pharmacies outside of school hours.
Following the recent JCVI guidance that recommended all children between 5 and 11 would benefit from a non-urgent offer of the COVID vaccine, the NHS will send
invitations to one million families with five and six-year-olds this week.
"Invitations being sent to families this week will set out how easy and convenient it is to take up the offer of a vaccine as part of the NHS COVID vaccination
programme by booking through the National Booking Service, or visiting their nearest walk-in site," NHS said.
Between April 25 and May 1, there are already more than 33,500 children aged five to 11 booked in for their dose of the life-saving vaccine, with a further 50,000 slots still available.
Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy Lead for the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme, said: "It is great to see so many families already booked in for their children to receive their Covid vaccine this week, helping to protect themselves against potential future waves of the virus.
Covid-19 vaccine makers are shifting gears and planning for a smaller, more competitive booster shot market after delivering as many doses as fast as they
could over the last 18 months.
Executives at the biggest Covid vaccine makers including Pfizer and Moderna said they believe most people who wanted to get vaccinated against Covid have already done so - more than five billion people worldwide.
In the coming year, most Covid vaccinations will be booster shots, or first inoculations for children, which are still gaining regulatory approvals around the world, they said.
Pfizer, which makes its shot with Germany's BioNTech and Moderna still see a major role for themselves in the vaccine market even as overall demand declines.
Upstart US vaccine maker Novavax and Germany's CureVac, which is working with GlaxoSmithKline, are developing vaccines they hope to target at the booster market.
The roles of AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, whose shots have been less popular or effective, are expected to decline in this market.
The NHS on Sunday (January 30) expanded its Covid-19 vaccination programme to include vulnerable children aged five to 11 years.
Eligible children include those with diabetes, immunosuppression, learning disabilities, and other conditions as outlined by the UK Health Security Agency in the Green Book.
Besides, children living with someone immunosuppressed will be eligible to get the first dose of the Covid vaccine in line with advice issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
According to the NHS there are around 500,000 eligible children in the latest cohort.
GP and deputy lead for NHS vaccination programme Dr Nikki Kanani, said: "We know vaccines give significant protection against severe illness from Covid - including the omicron variant, so it is important that our youngest and most at-risk get protected.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on Tuesday authorised a Covid-19 vaccine for infants as young as six months, opening the door
for vaccinating the country's youngest children once the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) agrees.
The regulator authorised the vaccine - made by Pfizer and BioNTech - for children aged six months to four years old, after it was deemed safe and effective based on
an ongoing clinical trial involving 4,526 participants.
Whether the vaccine is eventually deployed in this age group depends on a recommendation from the JCVI, which advises UK health departments on which shots should be
used as part of the national vaccination programme.
The vaccine is tailored for use in this age group - it is a lower dose version than the one used in children aged five to 11 years. It is given as three injections
in the upper arm, with the first two doses given three weeks apart, followed by a third dose administered at least two months after the second dose.
The NHS on Sunday (January 30) expanded its Covid-19 vaccination programme to include vulnerable children aged five to 11 years.
Eligible children include those with diabetes, immunosuppression, learning disabilities, and other conditions as outlined by the UK Health Security Agency in the Green Book.
Additionally, children living with someone immunosuppressed will be eligible to get the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine in line with advice issued by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
According to the NHS, there are around 500,000 eligible children in the latest cohort.
GP and deputy lead for NHS vaccination programme Dr Nikki Kanani, said: "We know vaccines give significant protection against severe illness from Covid - including the omicron variant, so it is important that our youngest and most at-risk get protected.
As part of efforts to streamline spending and enhance resource allocation within the healthcare system, the NHS has chosen to cease providing the free
vaccinations for all, which were initially introduced in 2020. Approximately 12 million British citizens will not have access to free flu vaccinations and
Covid-19 boosters during the upcoming winter, according to NHS.
Furthermore, the NHS plans to defer flu vaccine distribution to October, aiming to heighten protection for those aged 65 and older and other eligible groups in
the high-risk winter months. However, this has stirred panic among pharmacies, given their advanced planning based on the initial start date of September 1 for
vaccinations.
On Tuesday (Aug. 8), the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) released NHS guidelines indicating that Covid-19 booster shots, starting from autumn,
will not be provided to individuals aged 50 to 64 who are in otherwise good health. Similar guidance had already been released for flu, rendering 12 million
middle-aged Britons ineligible for free jabs, JCVI said.
Prior to the pandemic, influenza vaccinations were available to healthy adults aged over 65, alongside children and younger adults with medical conditions. Amidst
the pandemic, the distribution of flu vaccinations was expanded to include individuals aged 50 to 64, in alignment with the criteria for Covid-19 boosters.
Superdrug has reported more than 400 per cent spike in sale of the chickenpox vaccines in the UK.
To protect children against the disease during chickenpox season, nearly nine out of 10 patients (87 per cent) have taken their wards under the age of five for vaccination in the last eight weeks.
Chickenpox can be a seasonal disease with children usually catching it in the winter and spring, with UK peaks often between March and May.
The last two years of spending time in and out of various lockdowns have meant less interaction between people, and so less transmission across the general population.
Caris Newson, head of healthcare services at Superdrug, said: "One of the knock-on effects of Covid is that people have a greater awareness and understanding of the benefits that vaccines can offer.
"We launched the chickenpox vaccination service five years ago in 2017 and it's now that we're beginning to see greater interest in how it can support family health. In fact, our fully qualified nurses have told us that they've had more parents ask about the chickenpox vaccination service, and word of mouth has then spread amongst parents and schools."
UK regulator has approved a new age-appropriate formulation of the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for use in children aged 5 to 11 years old.
The new paediatric formulation of Covid vaccine meets the required safety, quality and effectiveness standards, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) announced on Wednesday (December 22).
Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive said that parents and carers can be reassured that this approval has been given after robust review of safety data.
These data showed a favourable safety profile for use in 5-11-year olds compared with that seen in other age groups, the regulator said.
Raine said: "We have carefully considered all the available data and reached the decision that there is robust evidence to support a positive benefit risk for children in this age group.
The government will on Thursday launch a drive to boost childhood vaccination rates, health authorities said, seeking an "urgent reversal" to a fall in
uptake as the country faces a worsening measles outbreak.
Routine childhood immunisations in Britain for diseases including measles, mumps and rubella, diphtheria and polio, have been falling gradually over the past
decade, but dipped more sharply after the Covid-19 pandemic, mirroring a global decline.
Last year UNICEF said people worldwide had lost confidence in the importance of routine childhood vaccines during the pandemic, with misinformation, dwindling
trust in governments and political polarisation contributing to rising hesitancy.
Britons will begin seeing adverts from next week across various media, including a television campaign featuring children reminding parents of the risk of missing
out on vaccinations, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
"We need an urgent reversal of the decline in the uptake of childhood vaccinations to protect our communities," UKHSA chief executive Jenny Harries said in a
statement.
Polio has been detected in sewage samples in London, the first sign since the 1980s that the virus could be spreading in the UK, but no cases have been found,
authorities said.
The risk of infection from the disease, which causes paralysis in children in under one per cent of cases, was also low because of high vaccination rates, the UK
Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said.
The agency nevertheless encouraged parents to make sure their children were vaccinated after the discovery of the virus during routine wastewater surveillance -
particularly those who may have missed shots during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Nationwide vaccination levels are above the 90 per cent needed to prevent outbreaks, but London's coverage rates among the under-twos has dipped below that in recent
years.
NHS England will begin contacting parents of children under five who are not immunised.
Polio, spread mainly through contamination by faecal matter, used to kill and paralyse thousands of children annually worldwide. There is no cure, but vaccination
brought the world close to ending the wild, or naturally occurring, form of the disease.
All adults aged 50 years and above are eligible for free flu jabs in England under the autumn Covid-19 booster programme, the Department of Health and Social
Care (DHSC) has announced.
"The flu virus could also be highly infectious at this time of year, so I am also announcing that those eligible for a free flu vaccination this year will include
everyone aged 50 and over, primary school children and secondary school pupils in years 7, 8 and 9, as well as people in clinical risk groups, unpaid carers and
household contacts of those who are immunosuppressed," said new health secretary Steve Barclay.
Commenting on the DHSC's announcement, CCA chief executive Malcolm Harrison said: "We welcome the decision to accept the advice of the JCVI on who can have free
Covid-19 boosters and flu jabs this autumn. Community pharmacies have turbo-charged the Covid-19 vaccination programme over the past 18 months and last year we
witnessed the most successful community pharmacy flu campaign ever."
Well Pharmacy, one of the UK's leading independent pharmacy chains, has been offering flu vaccinations for free.
The chain says it is concerned as the winter flu season is now in full force, with hospital admissions reaching a peak and flu stats higher than they have been in
recent years.
Recent data shared by NHS England showed that there was an increase in flu cases by nearly 70 per cent leaving many in hospital each week.
Well Pharmacy is worried about those who have yet to have the flu jab and has been urging people to get one for free.
It recognises that only children aged 2-11, people over 50, and those with certain medical conditions are eligible for free NHS jabs, leaving millions who would
normally have to pay for a flu vaccination which usually costs £15.
Research recently undertaken by the chain shows that a quarter of people (25 per cent) think that after so many Covid-19 jabs in the last few years, 'vaccine fatigue'
has led to a perceived lack of motivation in others to get their jabs.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has warned that there has been a continued increase in cases of whooping cough (pertussis) across England since
the start of this year.
According to new data published by the agency on Thursday (7 March), 553 new cases of whooping cough were confirmed in January alone, compared with 858 cases
for the whole of last year (2023).
The country is witnessing a surge in whooping cough cases after a prolonged period of low case numbers, attributed to restrictions and reduced social interaction
during the COVID-19 pandemic. England recorded the highest number of whooping cough cases in 2016, recording 5,949 cases.
As the ongoing rise coincides with a steady decline in the vaccination rates among pregnant women and children, UKHSA has strongly encouraged mums-to-be to get
the maternal pertussis vaccine so that their young baby is protected against this serious disease.