How to book a Covid vaccine: autumn booster jab booking details, who is eligible - can you buy vaccines?

Covid and flu vaccines will begin to be distributed throughout England starting on Monday (11 September), with those who are housebound and those in care homes among the first to be eligible for the jab.

An earlier start date to the Covid-19 and flu vaccination programmes has been prompted by the discovery of a new coronavirus variant in the UK.

The variant, known as BA.2.86, has a high number of mutations, but it has not yet been designated as a "variant of concern" by researchers, who are keeping a close eye on it.

NHS England is urging people to get both the Covid-19 and flu jabs to avoid a potential “twindemic” of both illnesses, which would put pressure on the health service.

But how exactly can you book your latest vaccination, and who is eligible for it? Here is everything you need to know about it.

Who is eligible for a Covid and flu vaccine?

Adults in the general population who are eligible for Covid and flu vaccines include those aged 65 and over, people in at-risk groups and the immunosuppressed.

Earlier this year it was announced that the number of people eligible to receive the Covid-19 booster jab this autumn had been reduced from previous programmes.

The autumn booster vaccine was provided to those 50 and older last year, but this year's eligibility requirements have been tightened. Health officials said that the larger group was offered the booster jab in 2022 as part of the “emergency response” to the pandemic.

Those eligible for a vaccine on this year’s autumn booster programme include:

• Adults aged 65 and over
• Care home residents
• Those aged six months and older who are deemed to be “clinically at risk” with illnesses including severe asthma, diabetes and a number of chronic illnesses
• People who are immunosuppressed – either through illness or treatment for cancer – and their household contacts aged 12 and over
• Those aged over 16 who are carers

Experts are recommending that the Covid-19 vaccination programme be expanded to allow anyone, regardless of age, to receive the vaccine in response to BA.2.86 (also known as 'Pirola'), which NHS officials called the most concerning new variant since Omicron first emerged.

While experts are optimistic that the vaccine programme will offer some protection, some have said that “we don’t know yet” whether it will provide enough protection in all instances. BA.2.86's many mutations may mean it can evade the jab, and some experts have called for people to begin wearing a mask again.

The UKHSA said there is “insufficient data” to assess the new strain’s relative severity or how likely it is to evade the protection offered by vaccines compared to other currently-circulating variants.

The agency said it would continue to monitor the spread of the variant closely while checks to determine the risks it may pose continue.

Can I buy a vaccination privately if I am not eligible?

Currently, it is not possible to purchase Covid-19 injections in the UK. That means that those who were offered the vaccine in 2022 but are not eligible this year will not be able to purchase the jab themselves.

Professor Devi Sridhar, chairwoman of global public health at the University of Edinburgh, has said that the Covid-19 vaccine programme should be adjusted so that it resembles the flu programme, in which people can receive vaccinations privately if they so choose.

How can I book a booster vaccine?

Those who will begin to be invited by the NHS - through GP surgeries or other local NHS services - to get their jabs from next week.

Those in groups who are eligible for the autumn vaccine will be able to book their jabs from Monday 18 September through the NHS website, the NHS App or by calling 119. GP surgeries or other local NHS services are also contacting people to offer the vaccines.

Vaccine programmes have already kicked off in Scotland, while Wales will roll out at the same time as England, and Northern Ireland officially starts its programme on Monday 18 September.