The Covid booster vaccine and flu programmes will be both offered to people aged 50 and over this autumn, it has been announced.

New health secretary Steve Barclay announced he has accepted advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), with the programme due to start in England in 'early autumn'.

A Covid vaccine will be offered to:

  • residents in a care home for older adults and staff
  • frontline health and social care workers, including unpaid carers
  • all those 50 years of age and over
  • people aged 5 to 49 years who are in a clinical risk group
  • household contacts of those who are immunosuppressed

In addition, Mr Barclay announced the groups who will be eligible for this year’s flu vaccination programme in England.

He overturned the scrapping of the expanded campaign for free flu jabs announced earlier this year, confirming that the campaign will again include the over-50s and certain secondary school pupils ‘later in the season’.

All groups eligible for free flu vaccination this coming season

  • all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2022
  • all primary school aged children (from reception to Year 6)
  • those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
  • pregnant women
  • those aged 65 years and over
  • those in long-stay residential care homes
  • carers
  • close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
  • frontline staff employed by the following types of social care providers without employer led occupational health schemes:
  • a registered residential care or nursing home
  • registered domiciliary care provider
  • a voluntary managed hospice provider
  • Direct Payment (personal budgets) or Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants

And later in the season:

  • All adults aged 50 to 64 years
  • Secondary school children in years 7, 8 and 9, who will be offered the vaccine in order of school year (starting with the youngest first)

Source: DHSC

In May, the JCVI recommended autumn Covid boosters for over-65s, care home residents and staff, frontline health and social workers and adults aged 16 to 64 years in a clinical risk group, under interim guidance.

However, NHS England had told commissioners to plan for a ‘maximum scenario’ of autumn boosters for all over-50s, as well as care home residents and carers, frontline health and social care workers and those in clinical risk groups – ‘subject to final JCVI advice’.

Mr Barclay said: ‘I have accepted the independent advice of the JCVI to offer an autumn Covid booster to people aged 50 and over, residents and staff in care homes for older adults, frontline health and social care workers, unpaid carers, individuals aged five to 49 in clinical risk groups and household contacts of those who are immunosuppressed.’

NHS staff and volunteers delivered an ‘outstanding service to the public through the biggest and fastest vaccination rollout in England’s history’, he said.

But he added: ‘Viruses spread more easily in the colder seasons with people socialising inside, so the risk of getting Covid is higher.’

And he warned that it is ‘absolutely vital’ the most vulnerable groups get a booster jab to ‘strengthen their immunity against serious disease over winter to protect themselves and reduce pressure on the NHS’.

He added: ‘The flu virus could also be highly infectious at this time of year, so today 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.’

Meanwhile, Moderna has ‘completed regulatory submissions’ for its new Omicron Covid vaccine, which could be used for autumn boosters in the UK if approved by the MHRA.

This article was initially published by our sister publication Pulse.