By Spring booster jabs begin – are you eligible?
A spring booster jab is now being rolled out in England in another attempt to protect the public from covid infections.
People aged 75 and over, residents in care homes, and those with weakened immune systems can now book an extra booster jab in England.
It comes as official figures show infection rates are rising in all age groups – including the over-70s.
The UK’s vaccine advisers have said additional jabs will help boost protection for the most vulnerable.
Spring boosters are already being rolled out in Wales and Scotland.
This comes as the UK is seeing rising cases of Covid, with roughly one in 20 people being infected, according to the latest figures.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that people with symptoms of the virus should “behave sensibly” but he said that it would be down to the individual to decide whether or not to take a test.
“I think we need to step back and think about how we learn to live with Covid and focus on our very best form of defence and that’s the vaccination programme,” he said.
Although vaccines provide good protection against severe disease, protection wanes over time.
According to experts, many of the oldest who received their last jab in autumn 2021 may see their immunity start to decline.
A second booster, which will be administered six months after the last dose, will be offered to:
- adults aged 75 years and over
- residents in a care home for older adults
- individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed, or have weakened immune systems
About five million people in the UK will be eligible to book the extra booster jab – with the first 600,000 people to be invited from this week.
Come autumn a wider rollout is expected for the rest of the population.
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