Autumn Covid booster 2022: who can get jab, how to book UK, which vaccine is used, when does roll out start?

A Covid booster vaccine programme will be rolled out this autumn, but who is eligible to receive it and which vaccine will be used?

Here’s what you need to know.

Who is eligible for the autumn Covid booster jab?

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has now published its final recommendations for this autumn’s programme.

Under the advice, those eligible for a further dose in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will be:

• all adults aged 50 years and over
• those aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, including pregnant women
• those aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
• those aged 16 to 49 years who are carers
• residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
• frontline health and social care workers

When will people be able to get the jab?

In England, care home residents, staff and people that are housebound will start receiving their autumn Covid booster jabs from Monday 5 September.

A further four million will then be able to book their booster jabs from Wednesday 7 September, with appointments available from 12 September.

This group includes the most clinically vulnerable, those over 75, and health and social care staff who do not work in care homes.

In Scotland, the booster vaccination will be offered to those at highest risk of severe Covid-19 disease from September.

Where possible, these boosters will be given at the same time as the flu vaccination to those who are eligible.

Vaccinations will be offered first to frontline health and social care workers and those who are most vulnerable to the effects of the virus.

Letters will be sent out to the first eligible groups with appointments beginning in September.

In Wales, Health Boards will be sending out vaccine appointment letters to all eligible individuals.

Northern Ireland’s health minister Robin Swann urged those eligible for a booster as part of the autumn programme to come forward as soon as it becomes available.

Which vaccine will I get?

The JCVI has recommended the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine for the booster programme.

The JCVI reviewed data on booster responses from different combinations of Covid-19 vaccines, which showed that both these vaccines are well tolerated as a booster dose and will provide a strong immune response.

This is irrespective of which vaccine was given as a primary dose.

The vaccines advised for use in the autumn booster programme are:

For adults aged 18 years and above:

• Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) bivalent Original ‘wild-type’/Omicron BA.1. Dose: 50 micrograms
• Moderna mRNA (Spikevax) Original ‘wild-type’ vaccine. Dose: 50 micrograms
• Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) bivalent Original ‘wild-type’/Omicron BA.1 vaccine. Dose: 30 micrograms.
• Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) ‘wild-type’ vaccine. Dose: 30 micrograms

For people aged 12 to 17 years:

• Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) bivalent Original ‘wild-type’/Omicron BA.1 vaccine. Dose: 30 micrograms.
• Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) ‘wild-type’ vaccine. Dose: 30 micrograms

For people aged 5 to 11 years:

• Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA (Comirnaty) Original ‘wild-type’ vaccine paediatric formulation

Exceptional circumstances:

• Novavax Matrix-M adjuvanted wild-type vaccine (Nuvaxovid), dose 5 micrograms (Spike protein) with 50 micrograms adjuvant, may be used ‘off-label’ as a booster dose for persons aged 18 years and above when no alternative clinically suitable UK-approved COVID-19 vaccine is available