The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on Thursday (May 19) said that an anticipated autumn Covid booster campaign would be aimed at
people aged over 65, care home residents, frontline health and social care workers and all adults in a clinical risk group.
The UK is offering a spring booster to the over-75s, care home residents and immunosuppressed people, and ministers have spoken openly of plans for a further
booster campaign in the autumn.
In interim advice, the JCVI stopped short of recommending another shot for all adults, though said the advice would be reviewed and updated.
"The JCVI's current view is that in autumn 2022, a Covid-19 vaccine should be offered to: residents in a care home for older adults and staff; frontline health
and social care workers; all those 65 years of age and over; and adults aged 16 to 64 years who are in a clinical risk group," the UK Health Security Agency said
in a statement.
Prime minister Boris Johnson, who was fiercely criticised for his handling of the early stages of the pandemic, lifted Covid restrictions in England in February,
crediting Britain's quick initial vaccine rollout and the rollout of boosters with breaking the link between cases and deaths.
Deviating from the initial schedule to kick off the flu and Covid-19 vaccination campaigns in October, the NHS England has announced that the autumn
vaccination drive will commence sooner than expected in England, starting on September 11. This decision was taken as a precaution in response to a new Covid-19
variant.
The precautionary measure is being taken as the Department of Health and Social Care and the UK Health Security Agency examined the variant BA.2.86, which was first
detected in the UK on Friday, August 18, 2023, the NHSE said on Aug. 30.
While NHS England had previously announced that vaccinations for both NHS programmes would begin on October 2 for residents of older adult care homes, appointments
for other eligible groups were scheduled for the following week, starting on October 7. This decision prompted community pharmacy leaders to denounce the delayed
start of the flu service as 'unacceptable'.
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."
The Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) Taskforce head Madelaine McTernan has returned to working full time as the director general of the Vaccine Taskforce for
autumn booster campaign preparation.
She has presented a few key recommendations to help ensure continued HRT supply to meet rising demand. "Improved access to data on prescriptions to more easily see
where there are shortfalls between HRT packs prescribed and HRT packs supplied by manufacturers," she suggested. "Taking lessons from the HRT supply chain work to
inform broader medicine supply work."
Madelaine said: "I am pleased to see the situation with HRT supply is improving across the country. I want to thank suppliers and manufacturers for their engagement
and positive action to tackle this serious issue.