To ask Her Majesty's Government what priorities they have adopted for the COVID-19 vaccination programme from autumn 2022 to spring 2023.
Answered on
5 July 2022
The Government continues to be guided by the advice of the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) regarding the deployment of COVID-19 vaccinations across the UK. On 19 May 2022, the JCVI published interim advice on an autumn COVID-19 vaccination booster programme. The primary objective of the programme is to offer protection against severe COVID-19 disease, specifically hospitalisation and death.
The interim advice from the JCVI is that an additional COVID-19 booster vaccine should be offered in autumn 2022 to residents in a care home for older adults and staff; frontline health and social care workers; all those aged 65 years old and over; and adults aged 16-64 years old who are in a clinical risk group.
The JCVI continues to review the definitions of clinical risk groups and the need for any further COVID-19 vaccination of other patient groups. Further information on the number of people eligible for the autumn COVID-19 booster programme will be subject to the final advice from the JCVI, which is expected autumn 2022.