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NHS England have announced that the autumn Covid booster rollout will start during the first week of September when NHS staff will begin vaccinating care home residents and people who are housebound.
The National Booking Service will also open that week ahead of the wider rollout, due to start on the 12 September, with the NHS inviting those who are most susceptible to serious illness from Covid-19 and those aged 75 and over to book an appointment from that week.
As with previous campaigns, the oldest and most vulnerable will be called forward first, with people able to book in online or through 119 for as long as it has been three months since their last dose.
As many as 3,000 sites are expected to be part of the rollout, including GP practices and community pharmacies, with new sites joining the programme all of the time.
The news comes as the British Medical Association urged the government this week to not deliver the autumn booster programme ‘on the cheap’.
It said that with the current well-documented pressures on GP practices and the reduction in the funding for delivery of these vaccines, it has serious concerns about the rollout. Payment to GPs for delivery of vaccines has dropped 20% since last year’s rollout while the costs for GP practices have only rocketed in the meantime.
First winter to see real effects of both Covid and flu
Around 26 million people across England will be eligible for an autumn booster in line with guidance set out by the JCVI. In addition, the NHS will continue to advise local sites to allow immunosuppressed patients to self-declare and attend walk-ins to make getting the extra protection as easy as possible.
NHS director for vaccinations and screening Steve Russell said: “This winter will be the first time we see the real effects of both Covid and flu in full circulation as we go about life as normal €“ and so it is vital that those most susceptible to serious illness from these viruses come forward for the latest jab in order to protect themselves.
“We know that our GPs and community pharmacies have been integral to the success of the NHS Vaccination Programme due to their locations and relationships with local communities, and so it is fantastic that so many have opted to be part of the latest phase of the campaign.”