Last chance to book a COVID-19 booster vaccine

To date, people aged 16 and over have been eligible to receive an initial booster dose, whilst adults aged 50 and over, care home residents, the severely immunosuppressed and frontline health and care workers have been eligible for an autumn booster dose.    

 

Now, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that an offer of an initial booster dose should end when the current autumn booster programme ends.  

 

This means that Sunday 12 February will be the last chance for anyone who has been invited for a COVID-19 booster to book an appointment via the National Booking System, or by calling 119.  

 

Sally Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Black Integrated Care Board, said: “In the Black Country, we have delivered more than 2 million vaccinations to date, which is a fantastic achievement.  

 

“Thanks to the success of the booster programme, and the hundreds of thousands of people who have already come forward for a vaccine, the NHS is now in a position to pause the booster rollout.

“If you are eligible for a COVID-19 booster vaccine, whether that’s an initial booster dose or an autumn booster, please come forward before it’s too late. The vaccine will top up your immunity against the virus and keep you and your loved ones protected.

“The offer of a first and second dose will still be available for those who are yet to come forward, so please do take up the offer as soon as you can.”

 

The JCVI has also advised that for a smaller group of people, such as those who are older and those who are immunosuppressed, an extra booster vaccine dose in the spring should also be planned for. Further advice regarding the spring booster will be provided soon.

There are a number of pop-up clinics in the Black Country offering first and second doses and will continue to offer booster doses on a walk-in basis until the end of March. For more information, please visit the Black Country ICB website here.