PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Coronavirus: Vaccination (6 June 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending eligibility to people aged 65 and over for the covid-19 Spring booster jab.

Asked by:
Janet Daby (Labour)

On 21 February 2022, the Government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to offer an additional spring booster dose of COVID-19 vaccine to those most vulnerable as a precautionary measure. The additional COVID-19 booster dose is being offered to all residents in care homes for older adults, individuals aged 12 years old and over who are immunosuppressed and all adults aged 75 years old and over.

On 19 May 2022, the JCVI published interim advice on an autumn COVID-19 booster programme. The JCVI’s interim advice is that a COVID-19 vaccine should be offered to residents in a care home for older adults and staff; frontline health and social care workers; all those 65 years old and over; and adults aged 16 to 64 years old in a clinical risk group. The JCVI will continue to review the vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation, particularly in relation to the timing and value of doses for less vulnerable older adults and those in clinical risk groups before autumn 2022. The Government will consider JCVI’s final recommendations for the autumn COVID-19 booster programme later this year.

Answered by:
Maggie Throup (Conservative)
13 June 2022