Health and Social Care Secretary’s announcement regarding the spring booster initiative and ongoing vaccination options.

Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay stated:

Our COVID vaccination initiative has saved countless lives nationwide and alleviated pressure on the NHS during a difficult winter.

It is crucial that we keep safeguarding the most vulnerable through a targeted seasonal vaccination program for those at highest risk. This is why I have taken on board guidance from the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation regarding this year’s spring booster strategy. This will enhance the protection for individuals deemed to be at the highest clinical risk. Spring booster vaccinations will be made available to adults aged 75 and older, residents in a care home for older adults, and immunosuppressed individuals aged 5 and above.

The spring booster initiative is set to conclude on 30 June, and as we adapt to living with the virus without previous restrictions on our freedoms, I am also announcing that the option for a first or second COVID vaccine dose will end at this juncture.

COVID continues to impact thousands weekly, so I strongly encourage anyone who hasn’t yet received their first or second vaccine to join the 42 million who have already done so.

Background information

NHS England will announce a start date for the spring campaign in due course, and eligible participants will be invited to receive the vaccine approximately six months after their last dose.

The JCVI has recommended the following vaccines to be utilized in the 2023 spring program:

• Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent
• Moderna bivalent
• Sanofi/GSK monovalent (beta variant)
• Novavax monovalent (wild-type variant) – reserved for circumstances when alternative products are not deemed clinically appropriate

The specific vaccine offered will vary based on a person’s age and local supply factors. Children under 12 will receive a children’s formulation of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

Immunosuppressed groups are defined in Table 3 (page 19) and Table 4 (page 26) in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book.