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Over 40s invited for Covid vaccination ... elf and your loved ones from this dreadful disease.� The Government also announced this week that it had secured an additional 60 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to support its autumn booster programme. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said these doses are to be used �alongside other vaccines�, and that the booster scheme will be �based on clinical need� to protect the most vulne ... Date: 30-04-2021 Categories: • News
MHRA authorises single-dose Janssen Covid vaccine for UK rollout ... ble for two years� at between -25C and -15C can be kept at +2 to +8C for up to three months. The single-dose vaccine is part of a Government-backed study assessing options for a vaccine booster programme, involving a third shot. The DHSC reiterated that the Government is preparing for a booster programme �based on clinical need� and will publish further details �in due course�, with final policy t ... Date: 01-06-2021 Categories: • News
Covid booster jab plan released over �next few weeks�, says Hancock ... fferent combinations of Covid vaccines to find out which is most effective at providing protection against the virus. �When we know the results of that, then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn,� the health secretary explained. He said this is likely to happen in �the next few weeks.� He also went on to discuss the logistics of delivering the vaccine in the long term, ... Date: 21-06-2021 Categories: • News
Pharmacies should lead on Covid booster jabs to free up GPs� time ... ab so that GPs have time to deal with the backlog of patients that has built up during the pandemic. �Community pharmacies are ideally placed to play a significant role in the Covid-19 vaccination booster programme, particularly given their incredible track record on flu vaccinations and the work of the 600+ pharmacies already administering Covid-19 vaccines,� he said. �This is an ideal opportunity for the G ... Date: 22-06-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Mixing vaccines �could lead to better immune responses� ... reports suggested that mixing the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines is more likely to lead to mild and moderate side effects. It is expected that the Government will announce details of a Covid vaccine booster programme in the coming weeks, and it is expected that this study, when finalised, will be crucial in determining the structure of the programme. Community pharmacies should play a significant role in roll ... Date: 29-06-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Most vulnerable could be offered booster vaccine alongside flu in September ... k forward to receiving the Committee�s final advice in due course. �We need to learn to live with this virus. Our first Covid-19 vaccination programme is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster programme will protect this freedom. We are working with the NHS to make sure we can rapidly deliver this programme to maintain protection for people in the winter months.� Date: 30-06-2021 Categories: • News
Pharmacies should deliver �more� flu vaccines this autumn than last, says minister Community pharmacies should deliver more flu vaccines this autumn, while also �significantly� contributing to the Covid booster programme, the minister for primary care, Jo Churchill, has said. During a speech at the 2021 National Pharmacy Association (NPA) Conference, held virtually yesterday (5 July), Ms Churchill said that she wa ... Date: 06-07-2021 Categories: • News
Covid-19 vaccination service: �We�ve had really good uptake� ... e around 500 people with their second jabs. Tenby is a small town, but that�s a lot of locals. Would you recommend offering this service to other contractors? Pharmacies will be needed for the booster programme once that is rolled out, and in Wales that will probably follow what is recommended in England: for the over 70s, the clinically vulnerable, and health and social care staff. Depending on what�s anno ... Date: 07-07-2021 Categories: • Clinical Ambassadors • Vaccination
Pharmacy sites that administer 100 Covid vaccines per week to be considered for autumn booster ... ccines per week. The letter said that community pharmacy contractors already delivering the Covid-19 vaccination service for phases one and two will also be required to express an interest for the booster programme � otherwise known as phase three. Interested sites have been asked to submit expressions of interest by 5pm on 28 July 2021. This comes as 1,000 more community pharmacies sites are due to be signe ... Date: 15-07-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
Record-sized flu programme to target 35 million people for vaccinations ... gher levels of flu this winter, with more of the population susceptible given the low levels last season�. It reiterated it is preparing to deliver the expanded flu programme alongside a potential booster programme for Covid-19 vaccines this autumn and winter. A final decision on whether the Covid-19 booster programme will go ahead will be made after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) ... Date: 19-07-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections
Covid vaccinations: hard work for high rewards ... managed and run by a multi-disciplinary team including some of our pharmacy staff. With the recent news about community pharmacy being asked to play an important role in the Covid booster programme, it seems timely to share my experiences on the preparations and key steps leading to going live and running vaccination clinics. Last week, NHSE called on ... Date: 20-07-2021 Categories: • Community • Views
Exclusive: No plans to use Scottish or Welsh pharmacies in booster programme in September ... er is in the �planning stages� and therefore �we aren�t able to confirm any details�at the moment.�� Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said they are currently working on plans for the Covid-19 booster programme, which it said will 'predominantly be delivered through Health Board Mass Vaccination Clinics.' In March,�The Pharmacist�reported that�only�18 of the 713 community pharmacies in Wales had been co ... Date: 03-08-2021 Categories: • News
Welsh pharmacy lateral flow test distribution service expanded as restrictions lifted ... milar service for community pharmacies in Scotland has been in action since June. Earlier this week, The Pharmacist reported that no pharmacies in Wales have been commissioned to deliver the Covid booster programme despite there being an �appetite for involvement,� a spokesperson from CPW said. The Welsh Government told The Pharmacist that they �plan� to start the vaccine campaign in early September �subject ... Date: 06-08-2021 Categories: • News
Double-jabbed carry similar levels of Covid as unvaccinated, study finds ... mme today (19 August) that the JCVI would be �imminently deciding� who will need a third dose of the vaccine, but they needed �more evidence� before making a firm decision on a broader booster programme. Date: 19-08-2021 Categories: • News
UK trial launched to test third Covid jab in immunocompromised people ... CTAVE DUO study which will analyse the immune response and the durability of protection after a third dose but also rates of Covid-19 infection. Pharmacies in England are preparing for a booster programme for the most vulnerable due to run from sometime in September, although exactly who will be prioritised is yet to be finalised. A final decision from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunis ... Date: 27-08-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Select immunosuppressed people should have third vaccine separate to booster programme A select group of people who are considered severely immunosuppressed should be offered a third dose � or �top up�� of the Covid vaccine separate from the national booster programme, the vaccine committee has re ... Date: 01-09-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory
MHRA green-lights Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid vaccines for booster use The UK medicines regulator has approved the use of a third dose of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid vaccines ahead of an expected announcement about booster jabs. Both vaccines have been approved fo ... Date: 10-09-2021 Categories: • News
NI booster programme �primarily� delivered through pharmacies and GP surgeries The Covid vaccine booster programme in Northern Ireland will be delivered mostly through community pharmacies and GP surgeries, the Department of Health (DH) has announced. It comes a we ... Date: 13-10-2021 Categories: • News
More Covid booster jabs could be redirected to pharmacy ... This comes as the NHSE today (14 October) published a plan for improving access to GP appointments for patients and to support GPs and their teams ahead of winter. If practices taking part in the booster programme � �phase three� � are providing an �inappropriately low� number of face-to-face appointments for patients, Covid vaccine appointments should be passed on �most likely through community pharmacy�, NHS ... Date: 14-10-2021 Categories: • News
Anti-vaccine graffiti and posters discovered on Northern Ireland pharmacy ... ty pharmacies in Northern Ireland had administered over 143,000 doses of the Covid jab. Last week (13 October), the Department of Health announced that the Covid vaccine booster programme in Northern Ireland will be delivered mostly through community pharmacies and GP surgeries. In July,�The Pharmacist�reported�that a family-run village pharmacy serving as a vaccination centr ... Date: 20-10-2021 Categories: • News
Welsh pharmacies deliver 300k Covid vaccines ... it stands, over 5 million Covid vaccines have been delivered in Wales, with over 71% of the population now vaccinated. It is still unclear how much involvement community pharmacy will have in the booster programme, which began in September. However, Mr Goodway told The Pharmacist that he believed �the focus will continue to be on MVCs�. �I am aware of a couple of pharmacies that are already delivering th ... Date: 28-10-2021 Categories: • News
Government must use pharmacy �more� in booster programme, says Ashworth The shadow health secretary is urging ministers to make greater use of community pharmacy to do more Covid vaccines to fix the �stalling� booster vaccination programme. Speaking outside of Yakub�s Chemi ... Date: 01-11-2021 Categories: • News
Immunosuppressant holiday may boost Covid jab response ... immune-suppressing medicines.� It follows another study done in Korea which showed a two-week treatment holiday from methotrexate improved responses to influenza vaccination. Under the current booster programme,�cohorts 1-9 of the first phase of the Covid vaccination campaign are being offered a jab�six months after their second dose � with�GPs told to prioritise boosters in care homes. Third jabs for pa ... Date: 12-11-2021 Categories: • News
Covid booster vaccines extended to over-40s ... n into 2022�. Speaking at a press briefing, he confirmed that 40-49s should be given either the Pfizer vaccine or a half-dose of the Moderna vaccine for their booster, in line with the rest of the booster programme so far. He added: �It may well be that adults who are under 40 years might require a booster dose or third dose at some point.� England�s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Ta ... Date: 15-11-2021 Categories: • News
Welsh pharmacies begin administering booster vaccines Pharmacies in Wales have been commissioned to deliver Covid booster vaccines for the first time. Swansea Health Board announced this week that it had started to involve pharmacies in the booster programme to �ensure the booster is available locally� and while GPs are �busy delivering flu vaccines on top of their usual services,� the health board said. Thirteen pharmacies in the Swansea area, along ... Date: 26-11-2021 Categories: • News
Eligibility for Covid boosters expanded to all over-18s ... given in 3 months, in line with the clinical advice on optimal timing.Both the Moderna (50 microgram) and Pfizer-BioNTech (30 microgram) vaccines should be used with equal preference in the Covid-19 booster programme. Both vaccines have been shown to substantially increase antibody levels when offered as a booster dose. In addition, JCVI advises the following secondary measure, subject to appropriate ... Date: 29-11-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections
Waking up to community pharmacy? ... push on Covid 19 booster vaccinations was notable for several reasons. One was that the arrival of the new coronavirus variant Omicron is being taken seriously enough that the half-hearted Covid booster programme needs to be put back on track. Another was the speed at which Government is acting. But also - listen up - was that community pharmacy featured prominently in the announcements as a primary route for ... Date: 02-12-2021 Categories: • Views
Pfizer chief says annual Covid booster vaccines are likely ... y high level of protection,� he said. This comes as the Government announced it had secured more than 100 million additional doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which could be used in future booster programmes. Supplies of vaccines for the current booster campaign were secured in August, but the recent deal adds another 114 million doses to the existing order. The UK is expecting 60 million of the v ... Date: 02-12-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Pharmacy technicians may administer Covid booster under PGD ... Covid-19 vaccine since January, however, not under a PGD. Malcolm Harrison, CEO of the Company Chemists Association, said that �small technical legal change� could not only help bolster the Covid booster programme, but also �enhance� the attractiveness of the technician role. �We also support wider efforts to evolve the role of the pharmacy technicians, enabling them to take on additional roles which would ... Date: 03-12-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Covid booster jab: Over-40s invited to book after three months ... heir jab online through the National Booking Service or by calling 119 and GP practices �are also inviting those who are eligible�, it said. Health secretary Sajid Javid said: �We are boosting our booster programme to get more jabs in arms more quickly and from today, millions of people over the age of 40 in England will be able to pre-book their booster jab two months after their second dose, a month ahead of ... Date: 08-12-2021 Categories: • News
Pharmacists could continue vaccinations at off-site venues beyond the pandemic ... level of protection among populations. This month, the Government announced it had secured more than 100 million additional doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which could be used in future booster programmes. The Government has said it plans to commission 1,500 pharmacies in England to deliver the booster vaccine this winter. Other proposals listed in the consultation document include: increasing ... Date: 09-12-2021 Categories: • News
Pharmacies need �level playing field� to increase speed of vaccination rollout, says sector ... �s needed most.' The NPA's director of external and corporate affairs, Gareth Jones, added: 'In light of the Prime Minister�s announcement on Sunday evening about a further ramping up of the Covid booster programme, we are in touch with NHS officials about the role of pharmacies in this intensified nationwide campaign. Pharmacies have already given millions of Covid jabs, including boosters, and there is potent ... Date: 13-12-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Observational time after jab could be scrapped in �next few days�, says CMO ... ay behind for a 15-minute observation period after their Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccination could be scrapped in the �next few days�. Speaking at an all-systems briefing on the stepping up of the booster programme over the next few weeks, UK chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the CMOs �have been looking at this repeatedly over the weekend� and �consulting with others�, �including, importantly, M ... Date: 14-12-2021 Categories: • News
Exclusive: Pharmacies likely to be heavily involved in annual Covid booster programme Community pharmacies in Wales are likely to be very involved in an annual Covid booster programme if repeat doses are decided to be necessary, a Government official has confirmed. Speaking to The Pharmacist yesterday (15 December), Andrew Evans, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer in Wales, said it i ... Date: 16-12-2021 Categories: • News
More GPs directing patients to pharmacies because of Covid, but not via CPCS ... ake this case to the NHS,� he added. Thorrun Govind, RPS English Pharmacy Board Chair, acknowledged that both pharmacy teams and general practice are under �a lot of pressure� to deliver the Covid booster programme, but reminded GP practices that the CPCS referral pathway can help relieve some of these pressures. She said: �With continued pressures across the health service, it is more important than ever th ... Date: 21-12-2021 Categories: • News
One-third of all boosters delivered by pharmacies ... ribution to the vaccination programme and is proud to be part of this remarkable NHS effort. 'More pharmacies have put themselves forward and these should be processed speedily, with the immediate booster programme in mind as well as readying pharmacies for a future, ongoing role', he said. Date: 13-01-2022 Categories: • News
Vulnerable patients to be offered further Covid boosters in spring and autumn ... inst severe Covid-19�. However, �to maintain high levels of protection for the most vulnerable individuals in the population, an extra spring dose of vaccine is advised ahead of an expected autumn booster programme later this year,� he added. �The JCVI will continue its rolling review of the vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation, particularly in relation to the timing and value o ... Date: 21-02-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Pharmacies could be involved in spring Covid booster programme ... expected to be the primary delivery model for this part of the programme.� It did not mention to what extent pharmacies sites would be involved, however, pharmacies have taken a large role in the booster programme this winter. In January, The Pharmacist reported that pharmacy-led vaccine sites across England have delivered one-third of all booster vaccines. NHS England added that it would set out furthe ... Date: 24-02-2022 Categories: • News
Pharmacy Covid jabs better value for money than mass vaccination centres, finds NAO ... le, had less wastage and made greater use of pharmacies than had been expected when first put in place, the National Audit Office found in an analysis. The report, which did not include the recent booster programme, found: Between the start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign and the end of October 2021, 87 million doses had been given with 85% of adults having received two doses, far higher than the 75% th ... Date: 28-02-2022 Categories: • News
Welsh Government expands free flu vaccine programme for another year ... corded yesterday (12 April) and 288 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.� Previously, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) indicated that there is likely to be an autumn booster programme for Covid-19 vaccinations across the UK and there may be opportunities for co-administration throughout the 2022-23 season. � �Those planning and administering vaccines should utilise these opport ... Date: 13-04-2022 Categories: • News
Spring Covid booster programme reaches three million Almost three million people who are the most vulnerable to Covid have had their spring booster jab in the six weeks since the latest phase of the NHS Covid vaccination programme started.� This means more than ... Date: 09-05-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections
Fourth Covid booster gives higher immunity than third, study suggests ... Clinical Research Facility and the trial lead, said the results �underline the benefits of the most vulnerable people receiving current spring boosters and give confidence for any prospective autumn booster programme in the UK, if the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation considers it needed at that time�. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, added: �This is further evidence underlining the importance ... Date: 11-05-2022 Categories: • News
JCVI recommends autumn Covid boosters for over-65s, vulnerable and health workers ... oint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that certain at-risk groups should receive another Covid booster vaccine in the autumn. Under the �interim� advice, the autumn booster programme would cover �more vulnerable adults� alongside frontline health and social care workers to �maintain their protection over the winter against severe Covid-19�, the�UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) a ... Date: 20-05-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory
Covid-19 vaccination protection wanes more quickly for cancer patients ... ty of Southampton, said: �This study shows that for some people with cancer, Covid-19 vaccination may give less effective and shorter-lasting protection. This highlights the importance of vaccination booster programmes and rapid access to Covid-19 treatments for people undergoing cancer treatments.� Current NHS guidance says people who have cancer or have received treatment for certain types of cancer may be at ... Date: 01-06-2022 Categories: • News
Covid vaccines prevented almost 20 million deaths in first year ... eople aged 75 years and over have not received a vaccine within the past six months, putting them more at risk of severe disease.�NHS England has this month set out its preliminary plan for an autumn booster programme, with pharmacies able to apply to deliver booster jabs. Date: 29-06-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections
Pharmacists to be paid less for autumn Covid boosters Pharmacies are to be paid less per Covid vaccine during the autumn booster programme compared with previous programmes. According to the draft service specification, published yesterday (29 June), pharmacies that support the provision of the next booster programme in the autumn wi ... Date: 01-07-2022 Categories: • News
Three months on: How pharmacies are dealing with the cost-of-living crisis ... ional staffing costs, which he raised to keep up with inflationary pressures. However, last week it emerged that pharmacies providing Covid jabs will be paid 20% less per vaccination in the autumn booster programme than in previous campaigns � with an item of service fee of �10.06, down from the current rate of �12.58. PSNC services director Alastair Buxton says the new fee reflected how NHSE&I did not r ... Date: 05-07-2022 Categories: • News
London children aged 1 to 9 to be offered Polio booster vaccine ... th Security Agency (UKHSA) said delivery of the boosters should start �no later than 15 August, with all one to nine year olds having been offered a vaccination by 26 September�. It said the polio booster programme should be considered �equivalent priority� to other time- sensitive vaccine programmes such as Covid-19 and flu. The campaign will begin in the London boroughs �where vaccine-derived poliovirus ty ... Date: 10-08-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections
MHRA approves new Moderna vaccine for Covid booster programme ... isease as the virus continues to evolve.� Professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Professor Stephen Evans said: �Whether this will be used in the UK booster programme will depend on other factors, including cost and what estimates of clinical efficacy are derived from analysis of the antibody response.� He added that the �similarity� of the new component target ... Date: 15-08-2022 Categories: • News
Timely Covid booster more important than type of vaccine, says government ... rioritised but Novavax can be used off-label as a booster dose for over-18s �in exceptional circumstances�. The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is excluded from the autumn campaign. Under last year�s booster programme, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were recommended, although anyone unable to have the mRNA vaccines could have an AstraZeneca jab instead. All UK patients aged under 40�had been offered Pfizer or Mode ... Date: 17-08-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Over 40s invited for Covid vaccination ... elf and your loved ones from this dreadful disease.� The Government also announced this week that it had secured an additional 60 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to support its autumn booster programme. The Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) said these doses are to be used �alongside other vaccines�, and that the booster scheme will be �based on clinical need� to protect the most vulne ... Date: 30-04-2021 Categories: • News

MHRA authorises single-dose Janssen Covid vaccine for UK rollout ... ble for two years� at between -25C and -15C can be kept at +2 to +8C for up to three months. The single-dose vaccine is part of a Government-backed study assessing options for a vaccine booster programme, involving a third shot. The DHSC reiterated that the Government is preparing for a booster programme �based on clinical need� and will publish further details �in due course�, with final policy t ... Date: 01-06-2021 Categories: • News

Covid booster jab plan released over �next few weeks�, says Hancock ... fferent combinations of Covid vaccines to find out which is most effective at providing protection against the virus. �When we know the results of that, then we will set out the full plans for the booster programme over the autumn,� the health secretary explained. He said this is likely to happen in �the next few weeks.� He also went on to discuss the logistics of delivering the vaccine in the long term, ... Date: 21-06-2021 Categories: • News

Pharmacies should lead on Covid booster jabs to free up GPs� time ... ab so that GPs have time to deal with the backlog of patients that has built up during the pandemic. �Community pharmacies are ideally placed to play a significant role in the Covid-19 vaccination booster programme, particularly given their incredible track record on flu vaccinations and the work of the 600+ pharmacies already administering Covid-19 vaccines,� he said. �This is an ideal opportunity for the G ... Date: 22-06-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Mixing vaccines �could lead to better immune responses� ... reports suggested that mixing the AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines is more likely to lead to mild and moderate side effects. It is expected that the Government will announce details of a Covid vaccine booster programme in the coming weeks, and it is expected that this study, when finalised, will be crucial in determining the structure of the programme. Community pharmacies should play a significant role in roll ... Date: 29-06-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Most vulnerable could be offered booster vaccine alongside flu in September ... k forward to receiving the Committee�s final advice in due course. �We need to learn to live with this virus. Our first Covid-19 vaccination programme is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster programme will protect this freedom. We are working with the NHS to make sure we can rapidly deliver this programme to maintain protection for people in the winter months.� Date: 30-06-2021 Categories: • News

Pharmacies should deliver �more� flu vaccines this autumn than last, says minister Community pharmacies should deliver more flu vaccines this autumn, while also �significantly� contributing to the Covid booster programme, the minister for primary care, Jo Churchill, has said. During a speech at the 2021 National Pharmacy Association (NPA) Conference, held virtually yesterday (5 July), Ms Churchill said that she wa ... Date: 06-07-2021 Categories: • News

Covid-19 vaccination service: �We�ve had really good uptake� ... e around 500 people with their second jabs. Tenby is a small town, but that�s a lot of locals. Would you recommend offering this service to other contractors? Pharmacies will be needed for the booster programme once that is rolled out, and in Wales that will probably follow what is recommended in England: for the over 70s, the clinically vulnerable, and health and social care staff. Depending on what�s anno ... Date: 07-07-2021 Categories: • Clinical Ambassadors • Vaccination

Pharmacy sites that administer 100 Covid vaccines per week to be considered for autumn booster ... ccines per week. The letter said that community pharmacy contractors already delivering the Covid-19 vaccination service for phases one and two will also be required to express an interest for the booster programme � otherwise known as phase three. Interested sites have been asked to submit expressions of interest by 5pm on 28 July 2021. This comes as 1,000 more community pharmacies sites are due to be signe ... Date: 15-07-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

Record-sized flu programme to target 35 million people for vaccinations ... gher levels of flu this winter, with more of the population susceptible given the low levels last season�. It reiterated it is preparing to deliver the expanded flu programme alongside a potential booster programme for Covid-19 vaccines this autumn and winter. A final decision on whether the Covid-19 booster programme will go ahead will be made after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) ... Date: 19-07-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Vaccinations and infections

Covid vaccinations: hard work for high rewards ... managed and run by a multi-disciplinary team including some of our pharmacy staff. With the recent news about community pharmacy being asked to play an important role in the Covid booster programme, it seems timely to share my experiences on the preparations and key steps leading to going live and running vaccination clinics. Last week, NHSE called on ... Date: 20-07-2021 Categories: • Community • Views

Exclusive: No plans to use Scottish or Welsh pharmacies in booster programme in September ... er is in the �planning stages� and therefore �we aren�t able to confirm any details�at the moment.�� Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said they are currently working on plans for the Covid-19 booster programme, which it said will 'predominantly be delivered through Health Board Mass Vaccination Clinics.' In March,�The Pharmacist�reported that�only�18 of the 713 community pharmacies in Wales had been co ... Date: 03-08-2021 Categories: • News

Welsh pharmacy lateral flow test distribution service expanded as restrictions lifted ... milar service for community pharmacies in Scotland has been in action since June. Earlier this week, The Pharmacist reported that no pharmacies in Wales have been commissioned to deliver the Covid booster programme despite there being an �appetite for involvement,� a spokesperson from CPW said. The Welsh Government told The Pharmacist that they �plan� to start the vaccine campaign in early September �subject ... Date: 06-08-2021 Categories: • News

Double-jabbed carry similar levels of Covid as unvaccinated, study finds ... mme today (19 August) that the JCVI would be �imminently deciding� who will need a third dose of the vaccine, but they needed �more evidence� before making a firm decision on a broader booster programme. Date: 19-08-2021 Categories: • News

UK trial launched to test third Covid jab in immunocompromised people ... CTAVE DUO study which will analyse the immune response and the durability of protection after a third dose but also rates of Covid-19 infection. Pharmacies in England are preparing for a booster programme for the most vulnerable due to run from sometime in September, although exactly who will be prioritised is yet to be finalised. A final decision from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunis ... Date: 27-08-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Select immunosuppressed people should have third vaccine separate to booster programme A select group of people who are considered severely immunosuppressed should be offered a third dose � or �top up�� of the Covid vaccine separate from the national booster programme, the vaccine committee has re ... Date: 01-09-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory

MHRA green-lights Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid vaccines for booster use The UK medicines regulator has approved the use of a third dose of both the Pfizer and AstraZeneca Covid vaccines ahead of an expected announcement about booster jabs. Both vaccines have been approved fo ... Date: 10-09-2021 Categories: • News

NI booster programme �primarily� delivered through pharmacies and GP surgeries The Covid vaccine booster programme in Northern Ireland will be delivered mostly through community pharmacies and GP surgeries, the Department of Health (DH) has announced. It comes a we ... Date: 13-10-2021 Categories: • News

More Covid booster jabs could be redirected to pharmacy ... This comes as the NHSE today (14 October) published a plan for improving access to GP appointments for patients and to support GPs and their teams ahead of winter. If practices taking part in the booster programme � �phase three� � are providing an �inappropriately low� number of face-to-face appointments for patients, Covid vaccine appointments should be passed on �most likely through community pharmacy�, NHS ... Date: 14-10-2021 Categories: • News

Anti-vaccine graffiti and posters discovered on Northern Ireland pharmacy ... ty pharmacies in Northern Ireland had administered over 143,000 doses of the Covid jab. Last week (13 October), the Department of Health announced that the Covid vaccine booster programme in Northern Ireland will be delivered mostly through community pharmacies and GP surgeries. In July,�The Pharmacist�reported�that a family-run village pharmacy serving as a vaccination centr ... Date: 20-10-2021 Categories: • News

Welsh pharmacies deliver 300k Covid vaccines ... it stands, over 5 million Covid vaccines have been delivered in Wales, with over 71% of the population now vaccinated. It is still unclear how much involvement community pharmacy will have in the booster programme, which began in September. However, Mr Goodway told The Pharmacist that he believed �the focus will continue to be on MVCs�. �I am aware of a couple of pharmacies that are already delivering th ... Date: 28-10-2021 Categories: • News

Government must use pharmacy �more� in booster programme, says Ashworth The shadow health secretary is urging ministers to make greater use of community pharmacy to do more Covid vaccines to fix the �stalling� booster vaccination programme. Speaking outside of Yakub�s Chemi ... Date: 01-11-2021 Categories: • News

Immunosuppressant holiday may boost Covid jab response ... immune-suppressing medicines.� It follows another study done in Korea which showed a two-week treatment holiday from methotrexate improved responses to influenza vaccination. Under the current booster programme,�cohorts 1-9 of the first phase of the Covid vaccination campaign are being offered a jab�six months after their second dose � with�GPs told to prioritise boosters in care homes. Third jabs for pa ... Date: 12-11-2021 Categories: • News

Covid booster vaccines extended to over-40s ... n into 2022�. Speaking at a press briefing, he confirmed that 40-49s should be given either the Pfizer vaccine or a half-dose of the Moderna vaccine for their booster, in line with the rest of the booster programme so far. He added: �It may well be that adults who are under 40 years might require a booster dose or third dose at some point.� England�s deputy chief medical officer, Professor Jonathan Van-Ta ... Date: 15-11-2021 Categories: • News

Welsh pharmacies begin administering booster vaccines Pharmacies in Wales have been commissioned to deliver Covid booster vaccines for the first time. Swansea Health Board announced this week that it had started to involve pharmacies in the booster programme to �ensure the booster is available locally� and while GPs are �busy delivering flu vaccines on top of their usual services,� the health board said. Thirteen pharmacies in the Swansea area, along ... Date: 26-11-2021 Categories: • News

Eligibility for Covid boosters expanded to all over-18s ... given in 3 months, in line with the clinical advice on optimal timing.Both the Moderna (50 microgram) and Pfizer-BioNTech (30 microgram) vaccines should be used with equal preference in the Covid-19 booster programme. Both vaccines have been shown to substantially increase antibody levels when offered as a booster dose. In addition, JCVI advises the following secondary measure, subject to appropriate ... Date: 29-11-2021 Categories: • Clinical • News • Respiratory • Vaccinations and infections

Waking up to community pharmacy? ... push on Covid 19 booster vaccinations was notable for several reasons. One was that the arrival of the new coronavirus variant Omicron is being taken seriously enough that the half-hearted Covid booster programme needs to be put back on track. Another was the speed at which Government is acting. But also - listen up - was that community pharmacy featured prominently in the announcements as a primary route for ... Date: 02-12-2021 Categories: • Views

Pfizer chief says annual Covid booster vaccines are likely ... y high level of protection,� he said. This comes as the Government announced it had secured more than 100 million additional doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which could be used in future booster programmes. Supplies of vaccines for the current booster campaign were secured in August, but the recent deal adds another 114 million doses to the existing order. The UK is expecting 60 million of the v ... Date: 02-12-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Pharmacy technicians may administer Covid booster under PGD ... Covid-19 vaccine since January, however, not under a PGD. Malcolm Harrison, CEO of the Company Chemists Association, said that �small technical legal change� could not only help bolster the Covid booster programme, but also �enhance� the attractiveness of the technician role. �We also support wider efforts to evolve the role of the pharmacy technicians, enabling them to take on additional roles which would ... Date: 03-12-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Covid booster jab: Over-40s invited to book after three months ... heir jab online through the National Booking Service or by calling 119 and GP practices �are also inviting those who are eligible�, it said. Health secretary Sajid Javid said: �We are boosting our booster programme to get more jabs in arms more quickly and from today, millions of people over the age of 40 in England will be able to pre-book their booster jab two months after their second dose, a month ahead of ... Date: 08-12-2021 Categories: • News

Pharmacists could continue vaccinations at off-site venues beyond the pandemic ... level of protection among populations. This month, the Government announced it had secured more than 100 million additional doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which could be used in future booster programmes. The Government has said it plans to commission 1,500 pharmacies in England to deliver the booster vaccine this winter. Other proposals listed in the consultation document include: increasing ... Date: 09-12-2021 Categories: • News

Pharmacies need �level playing field� to increase speed of vaccination rollout, says sector ... �s needed most.' The NPA's director of external and corporate affairs, Gareth Jones, added: 'In light of the Prime Minister�s announcement on Sunday evening about a further ramping up of the Covid booster programme, we are in touch with NHS officials about the role of pharmacies in this intensified nationwide campaign. Pharmacies have already given millions of Covid jabs, including boosters, and there is potent ... Date: 13-12-2021 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Observational time after jab could be scrapped in �next few days�, says CMO ... ay behind for a 15-minute observation period after their Pfizer or Moderna Covid vaccination could be scrapped in the �next few days�. Speaking at an all-systems briefing on the stepping up of the booster programme over the next few weeks, UK chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty said the CMOs �have been looking at this repeatedly over the weekend� and �consulting with others�, �including, importantly, M ... Date: 14-12-2021 Categories: • News

Exclusive: Pharmacies likely to be heavily involved in annual Covid booster programme Community pharmacies in Wales are likely to be very involved in an annual Covid booster programme if repeat doses are decided to be necessary, a Government official has confirmed. Speaking to The Pharmacist yesterday (15 December), Andrew Evans, Chief Pharmaceutical Officer in Wales, said it i ... Date: 16-12-2021 Categories: • News

More GPs directing patients to pharmacies because of Covid, but not via CPCS ... ake this case to the NHS,� he added. Thorrun Govind, RPS English Pharmacy Board Chair, acknowledged that both pharmacy teams and general practice are under �a lot of pressure� to deliver the Covid booster programme, but reminded GP practices that the CPCS referral pathway can help relieve some of these pressures. She said: �With continued pressures across the health service, it is more important than ever th ... Date: 21-12-2021 Categories: • News

One-third of all boosters delivered by pharmacies ... ribution to the vaccination programme and is proud to be part of this remarkable NHS effort. 'More pharmacies have put themselves forward and these should be processed speedily, with the immediate booster programme in mind as well as readying pharmacies for a future, ongoing role', he said. Date: 13-01-2022 Categories: • News

Vulnerable patients to be offered further Covid boosters in spring and autumn ... inst severe Covid-19�. However, �to maintain high levels of protection for the most vulnerable individuals in the population, an extra spring dose of vaccine is advised ahead of an expected autumn booster programme later this year,� he added. �The JCVI will continue its rolling review of the vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation, particularly in relation to the timing and value o ... Date: 21-02-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Pharmacies could be involved in spring Covid booster programme ... expected to be the primary delivery model for this part of the programme.� It did not mention to what extent pharmacies sites would be involved, however, pharmacies have taken a large role in the booster programme this winter. In January, The Pharmacist reported that pharmacy-led vaccine sites across England have delivered one-third of all booster vaccines. NHS England added that it would set out furthe ... Date: 24-02-2022 Categories: • News

Pharmacy Covid jabs better value for money than mass vaccination centres, finds NAO ... le, had less wastage and made greater use of pharmacies than had been expected when first put in place, the National Audit Office found in an analysis. The report, which did not include the recent booster programme, found: Between the start of the Covid-19 vaccination campaign and the end of October 2021, 87 million doses had been given with 85% of adults having received two doses, far higher than the 75% th ... Date: 28-02-2022 Categories: • News

Welsh Government expands free flu vaccine programme for another year ... corded yesterday (12 April) and 288 deaths within 28 days of a positive test.� Previously, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) indicated that there is likely to be an autumn booster programme for Covid-19 vaccinations across the UK and there may be opportunities for co-administration throughout the 2022-23 season. � �Those planning and administering vaccines should utilise these opport ... Date: 13-04-2022 Categories: • News

Spring Covid booster programme reaches three million Almost three million people who are the most vulnerable to Covid have had their spring booster jab in the six weeks since the latest phase of the NHS Covid vaccination programme started.� This means more than ... Date: 09-05-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Fourth Covid booster gives higher immunity than third, study suggests ... Clinical Research Facility and the trial lead, said the results �underline the benefits of the most vulnerable people receiving current spring boosters and give confidence for any prospective autumn booster programme in the UK, if the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation considers it needed at that time�. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, added: �This is further evidence underlining the importance ... Date: 11-05-2022 Categories: • News

JCVI recommends autumn Covid boosters for over-65s, vulnerable and health workers ... oint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that certain at-risk groups should receive another Covid booster vaccine in the autumn. Under the �interim� advice, the autumn booster programme would cover �more vulnerable adults� alongside frontline health and social care workers to �maintain their protection over the winter against severe Covid-19�, the�UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) a ... Date: 20-05-2022 Categories: • News • Respiratory

Covid-19 vaccination protection wanes more quickly for cancer patients ... ty of Southampton, said: �This study shows that for some people with cancer, Covid-19 vaccination may give less effective and shorter-lasting protection. This highlights the importance of vaccination booster programmes and rapid access to Covid-19 treatments for people undergoing cancer treatments.� Current NHS guidance says people who have cancer or have received treatment for certain types of cancer may be at ... Date: 01-06-2022 Categories: • News

Covid vaccines prevented almost 20 million deaths in first year ... eople aged 75 years and over have not received a vaccine within the past six months, putting them more at risk of severe disease.�NHS England has this month set out its preliminary plan for an autumn booster programme, with pharmacies able to apply to deliver booster jabs. Date: 29-06-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

Pharmacists to be paid less for autumn Covid boosters Pharmacies are to be paid less per Covid vaccine during the autumn booster programme compared with previous programmes. According to the draft service specification, published yesterday (29 June), pharmacies that support the provision of the next booster programme in the autumn wi ... Date: 01-07-2022 Categories: • News

Three months on: How pharmacies are dealing with the cost-of-living crisis ... ional staffing costs, which he raised to keep up with inflationary pressures. However, last week it emerged that pharmacies providing Covid jabs will be paid 20% less per vaccination in the autumn booster programme than in previous campaigns � with an item of service fee of �10.06, down from the current rate of �12.58. PSNC services director Alastair Buxton says the new fee reflected how NHSE&I did not r ... Date: 05-07-2022 Categories: • News

London children aged 1 to 9 to be offered Polio booster vaccine ... th Security Agency (UKHSA) said delivery of the boosters should start �no later than 15 August, with all one to nine year olds having been offered a vaccination by 26 September�. It said the polio booster programme should be considered �equivalent priority� to other time- sensitive vaccine programmes such as Covid-19 and flu. The campaign will begin in the London boroughs �where vaccine-derived poliovirus ty ... Date: 10-08-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

MHRA approves new Moderna vaccine for Covid booster programme ... isease as the virus continues to evolve.� Professor of pharmacoepidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Professor Stephen Evans said: �Whether this will be used in the UK booster programme will depend on other factors, including cost and what estimates of clinical efficacy are derived from analysis of the antibody response.� He added that the �similarity� of the new component target ... Date: 15-08-2022 Categories: • News

Timely Covid booster more important than type of vaccine, says government ... rioritised but Novavax can be used off-label as a booster dose for over-18s �in exceptional circumstances�. The AstraZeneca Covid vaccine is excluded from the autumn campaign. Under last year�s booster programme, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were recommended, although anyone unable to have the mRNA vaccines could have an AstraZeneca jab instead. All UK patients aged under 40�had been offered Pfizer or Mode ... Date: 17-08-2022 Categories: • Vaccinations and infections

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