Well Pharmacy is urging those eligible to take up the offer of a further Covid booster jab this spring.
Adults aged 75 years and over and anyone over 5 years old and are immunosuppressed - such as those who are undergoing chemotherapy or have had an organ
transplant - are entitled to have a further Covid booster jab from mid-April, said one of the UK's largest community pharmacy chains.
Taking part in the vaccination programme again, Well Pharmacy is encouraging people to book another booster as soon as they are contacted by the NHS - which
should be at least six months after their previous booster.
The national booking site for those eligible opens this week.
The jabs have been updated since the vaccines were introduced to now target newer strains of Covid-19, Well said in a press release issued on Wednesday, 5 April.
Thousands of people are still testing positive for Covid each week according to Government data, and - while hospitalisations are down - a large number of people
are still being hospitalised with Covid, so getting jabbed is as important as ever.
And the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recently confirmed that hospital admissions last autumn highlighted that the risk of becoming
seriously ill from coronavirus was noticeably higher in people over 75.
The government announced today (November 19) that it would add booster shots to the Covid-19 pass for outbound international travel, though it added they would not be added to the domestic pass at this time.
The Department of Health and Social Care said travellers who have had a booster or a third dose would be able to demonstrate their vaccine status through the NHS Covid Pass from today.
The addition will enable those who have had their booster or third dose to travel to countries including Israel, Croatia and Austria who have already introduced a time limit for the Covid-19 vaccine to be valid for quarantine free travel.
Booster and third doses will not be added to the domestic 'Covid Pass' as it is not a current requirement for individuals to receive booster doses to qualify as fully vaccinated. A booster is not necessary to travel into England.
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) is encouraging people to come forward for their first and/ or second dose of the Covid vaccine before the free
offer ends on Friday (30 June).
The NHS's world-leading vaccination programme has so far delivered over 146 million Covid jabs.
Building on the success of autumn and spring booster programmes, a seasonal, targeted vaccination offer will remain open for those most at risk, in line with advice
from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
Health Minister Maria Caulfield said: "As we live with Covid without restrictions on our freedoms, it is right that we move towards a more targeted vaccination
offer that prioritises those most at risk, so we can focus our efforts on cutting waiting lists for NHS treatment - one of the Prime Minister's top five priorities.
As the offer for any adult to get a Covid vaccine comes to an end on 30 June, I would urge those who have not yet come forward to choose to have the first and second
Covid vaccine. It takes minutes to get your jab and thousands of sites are open across England."
This year's spring booster programme continues to gather pace, with over two million eligible people receiving their vital top-up dose.
A fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine is not needed at present, as latest data shows first booster provides high levels of protection against Omicron variant among older adults, says the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
After analysing latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), JCVI said: "There is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, or fourth jab,
to the most vulnerable".
Data from UKSHA revealed that single booster dose provides around 90 per cent protection against hospitalisation to those aged 65 and over, even after three months of jab.
However, protection against mild symptomatic infection is short-lived and drops to around 30 per cent by about three months.
The study, which looked at booster doses in those aged over 65, showed that with two vaccine doses, protection against the infection drops to around 70 per cent after three months and to 50 per cent after six months.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard joined over 17 million people in England by taking her Covid-19 booster dose on Monday (December 6) whilst encouraging people to take their top-up jab.
The NHS boss got a dose in each arm as she also received her flu vaccine from pharmacist Bhaveen Patel at the Junction Pharmacy in Brixton.
Pritchard later posted a video on Twitter, thanking the team in the south London community pharmacy.
Ahead of the first anniversary of the NHS delivering the first Covid-19 vaccine in the world on Wednesday (December 8), Pritchard thanked the "incredible efforts" of NHS staff and volunteers who worked hard to protect millions of people.
Almost 100 million jabs have been delivered in England since December 8, 2020, including over 17 million booster vaccines.
Expressing her delight after taking the booster dose, Pritchard said: "The booster jab was quick, easy and I now have extra protection against the virus."
Covid-19 booster jab can now be administered sooner than six months after the second dose to certain vulnerable people as guideline in the UK Health Security
Agency (UKHSA) Green Book has been updated.
With the change in the guidance, care home residents who have been given their second vaccine dose at different times will be able to be jabbed in the same session,
as long as it has been at least five months since their last dose.
It may also help with other vulnerable groups, such as housebound patients to have their flu and Covid-19 vaccines at the same time.
The move will also benefit those who are about to receive immunosuppressive treatment as they can get the booster from a minimum of four months after their second dose.
Health secretary Sajid Javid said: "This updated guidance will ensure healthcare professionals have the necessary flexibility in the booster programme, allowing more
vulnerable people to be vaccinated where it makes operational sense to do so."
Vaccines minister Maggie Throup also encouraged eligible people to book their booster jab and secure protection.
Prime minister Borris Johnson visited a Boots vaccination site in his west London constituency of Uxbridge on Monday (January 10) - as the pharmacy chain celebrates its anniversary of supporting the NHS Covid-19 vaccination drive.
During the visit, the prime minister met with some pharmacists who have been administering Covid-19 booster jabs to patients.
Since opening the first vaccination site at its Halifax store in January 2021, Boots UK has administered over 1.4 million Covid-19 jabs, and continues to offer booster doses at over 80 pharmacies, the company said in a statement.
Continuing its support for the Covid-19 booster programme, Boots has doubled appointment capacity and added a small number of new sites since December 2021.
Boots vaccination programme director Nick Sunderland said: "We are so proud of our pharmacists who have worked incredibly hard to support the national effort to accelerate the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved a second "bivalent" vaccine as a Covid-19 booster.
The updated booster vaccine made by Pfizer/BioNTech, targeting two coronavirus variants, has been approved for use in individuals aged 12 years and above.
In each dose of the booster vaccine, 'Comirnaty bivalent Original/Omicron', half of the vaccine (15 micrograms) targets the original virus strain and the other
half (15 micrograms) targets Omicron (BA.1).
Dr June Raine, MHRA chief executive said: "I am pleased to announce that we now have a second approved vaccine for the UK Autumn booster programme. The clinical
trial of the Pfizer/BioNTech bivalent vaccine showed a strong immune response against the Omicron BA.1 variant as well as the original strain.
Bivalent vaccines are helping us to meet the challenge of an ever-evolving virus, to help protect people against Covid-19 variants. We have in place a comprehensive
safety surveillance strategy for all UK-approved Covid-19 vaccines, and this will include the updated booster we approved today."
As the government today (November 15) announced plans to expand Britain's booster programme for Covid-19 vaccinations to cover all adults aged over 40, NHS Confederation welcomed the move.
The announcement follows the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) statement that all healthy adults aged 40-49 should be offered a booster, six
months after their second dose, and that 16 and 17 year olds should be invited to have a second dose.
Accepting the JCVI's advice, health and social care secretary Sajid Javid said: "All 4 parts of the UK intend to follow the JCVI's advice.
"We know immunity to Covid-19 begins to wane after 6 months and new data published today shows a third dose boosts protection against symptomatic infection to more than 90% - this highlights just how important it is that everyone eligible gets their top-up jabs as soon as possible."
Boots UK's chief pharmacist has been encouraging people to get a flu vaccination by the end of November to help protect themselves, their loved ones and the
NHS this festive season.
Flu cases in the UK are usually highest in the winter months, from December to March. This year, the UK has seen a rise in cases earlier than usual, and therefore
Claire Nevinson, superintendent pharmacist at Boots, reminds people that it is even more important to get protected early to help reduce the risk of spreading the
virus due to increased mixing at Christmas parties and family get togethers.
Approximately 33 million people are eligible for the free NHS flu jab, including those over 50 years of age, pregnant women and those with medical conditions such as
diabetes or heart disease.
The pharmacy multiple says it offers the winter flu jab service, which is suitable for those eligible for the free NHS flu jab as well as privately, adding that it
has already administered over one million flu vaccinations this season.
Ms Nevinson explains: "December is a time to get together with friends and family to celebrate the month's festivities. It's a good idea to plan ahead to ensure you
have your flu jab, and your COVID-19 booster vaccination if you are eligible, if you've not had them already, this the best way to protect yourself and reduce the
risk of passing the viruses to others.
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.
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."
It is not sustainable to give Covid-19 booster shots every three to six in the long term, Britain's chief scientific adviser said on Tuesday (January 4), even though the booster rollout is needed in the short term to combat the Omicron variant.
"It would be a situation that isn't tenable to say everyone's going to need to be having another vaccine every three or six months.
"That's not the long-term view of where this goes to," Patrick Vallance said at a news conference, adding that annual booster shots against Covid-19 might be necessary, similar to flu shots.
Health secretary Sajid Javid urged people to book a Covid-19 booster shot on Wednesday (December 1) as he said there were 22 confirmed cases of the Omicron
virus variant in the country.
Javid said the government believed a booster campaign would help protect against severe disease from Omicron, even if it turns out that vaccines are not as effective against the variant as previous strains of the disease.
He said he hoped to know more about Omicron within two weeks, as scientists work to understand what impact the new variant will have on transmissibility and serious disease.
"At this point in time the case numbers are very low," Javid told Sky News. "For the UK we've got 22 confirmed cases at the moment and that will go up, it will certainly go up."
Britain plans to offer all adults a Covid-19 booster shot by the end of January. Government data shows 81 per cent of the population aged over 12 have had two doses of the vaccine while 32 per cent have had a booster shot or third dose.
Around 90 percent of coronavirus patients in intensive care units have not had a booster jab, prime minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday (December 29) - defending his decision not to tighten virus curbs in England.
Speaking at a vaccination centre, Johnson urged people to get "vital" booster jabs, saying "the overwhelming majority" of those currently going into intensive care in our hospitals have not had the booster jab.
"I've talked to doctors who say the numbers are running up to 90 percent of people in intensive care who are not boosted," the prime minister added in Milton Keynes in Hertfordshire.
Those who have not been vaccinated are "eight times more likely to get into hospital," he warned.
The UK has been hit by a huge surge of the new Omicron variant, with England and Wales reporting record case numbers on Tuesday. The UK has been one of Europe's worst hit with a death toll of 148,021.
70 per cent of community pharmacies still waiting for government nod to start Covid booster jabdesc-Nearly 70 per cent of community pharmacies in England that offered to participate in the Covid-19 booster programme are still waiting for approval or have
been refused, ministers admitted on Monday (December 13).
The Liberal Democrats' health spokesperson, Daisy Cooper, exposed the low approval rate and long delays through a written parliamentary question to the health secretary as to "how many community pharmacies were providing Covid-19 vaccinations as of 3 December 2021."In response vaccines minister Maggie Throup said: "As of the end of September 2021, 4,733 contractors submitted 5,376 expressions of interest to take part in the booster vaccination programme, with 1,454 accepted."She added: "As of 3 December 2021, 1,336 community pharmacy vaccination sites were actively providing the service."
Some applications were decided by NHS England rather than the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).
Community pharmacies played a central role in the government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic, delivering more than 22 million jabs in the past 12 months.
Besides delivering millions of jabs, latest figures from NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) revealed a 50 per cent increase in the number of pharmacies
delivering Covid boosters compared from October 2021 to January 2022.
NHSE&I released the data on Friday (January 14) to thank community pharmacy teams for their work during the crisis time.
Lauding the efforts made by community pharmacy teams during the pandemic, Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) director of NHS Services Alastair Buxton said: "Just over a year ago we were fighting for Government recognition of the part community pharmacy could play in administering Covid vaccines, so a year later it is great to see the efforts of the pharmacy vaccination sites being praised by NHSE&I, with recognition of the significant role they have played in the overall programme.
Community pharmacists in England have slammed the government's latest decision to reduce the number of people who get a free winter flu jab in the 2022-23 flu season, as concerns related to Covid-19 still exist.
This follows a letter from the NHS England and NHS Improvement (NHSE&I) to clinicians, which stated that the flu vaccination service in 2022-23 will be offered to
patient groups eligible in line with pre-pandemic recommendations. The eligibility was widened significantly after the pandemic struck in 2020 to help reduce the death toll from the Covid-19.
With the change in place people aged 50-64 and schoolchildren aged 11-15 will not be eligible to receive the free jabs on the NHS next winter, pushing millions of people to pay for their jabs privately.
It further recommended that vaccination for frontline healthcare workers and social care workers should be provided by employers as part of the organisation's policy to prevent the transmission of infection.
NHS England has agreed to offer an additional payment of £2.50 per jab if pharmacies would be willing to extend the duration of their COVID-19 vaccination
contract until 31st August 2024.
Pharmacies currently providing the autumn vaccination are asked to let their local commissioner know, by 22nd February 2024, if they can provide cover for a
potential Spring booster programme, if the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises in their guidance expected to be published soon.
NHS figures showed that more than 3,500 community pharmacies signed the contract to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations between 1 September 2023 and 31 March 2024, as
part of the autumn booster programme.
The health service is hoping that most of these pharmacies will be able to continue to support the Spring campaign, which will run from 1 April 2024 to 31st
August 2024, to help protect the nation's most vulnerable populations.
For the Spring campaign only, pharmacies would be offered an extra £2.50 per jab in addition to the existing item of service fee of £7.54, NHS England said.
The new NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard acknowledged and thanked health service staff and volunteers for their "extraordinary team effort" while the country fights Omicron.
Pritchard, who took up the post in July, praised the efforts of doctors, nurses, therapists, porters and other staff who have worked hard to recover services impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In her first Christmas message as the NHS chief, she praised all those involved in the NHS Covid vaccination programme which delivered more than 7 million jabs,
including boosters, in the last 10 days alone.
She said: "We've had another extraordinary 12 months.
"From January when hospitals admitted 100,000 patients with Covid in a single month, while also delivering the world-class NHS covid vaccination programme; to receiving the George Cross during the summer, marked by a service at St Paul's, pulling out all the stops to make progress on recovering backlogs of care; and now facing the uncertainty of Omicron and winter pressures.