NHS Covid booster jab campaign gets under way
The NHS autumn booster campaign began on 3 October but Covid vaccines are also available privately.
The NHS has started offering autumn Covid boosters to the most vulnerable.
Many pharmacies also now sell the Covid jab privately.
Who can get an NHS Covid booster jab this autumn?
The following groups can have an NHS Covid booster between 3 October and 20 December:
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over-65s
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people aged between six months and 64 years with health conditions that make them more vulnerable
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people living in care homes for older people
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front-line health and social-care staff, including in care homes for older people
The NHS has already contacted more than 11 million people, but those who qualify for the jab can also book their own appointments via the NHS App, GPs, pharmacies, drop-in clinics or by calling 119.
Anyone also entitled to the flu jab will be offered this at the same time.
But patients are advised not to have the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine at the same time as a flu or Covid jab.
Which Covid vaccines are used in the UK?
Vaccines from two companies are currently in use across the UK: Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna.
People are advised to take whichever vaccine they are offered, as both provide protection against severe illness or death.
AstraZeneca pulled its Covid vaccine worldwide because of the surplus of updated vaccines from its competitors.
At the firm’s request, in May 2024, the European Medicines Authority withdrew authorisation for the vaccine, which is no longer being manufactured or supplied.
Where can I buy a Covid vaccine and what does it cost?
A number of High Street chemists and private clinics sell and administer the Pfizer Covid vaccine directly to the public.
The cost varies from about £45 to £99.
You need to be aged 12 or above, and must not have had a Covid vaccine in the previous three months. You also need to talk to a health professional to check that it is suitable.
A protein-based booster vaccine made by Novavax, which works differently to the Pfizer and Moderna jabs, should also be available to buy soon.
Moderna is hoping to launch a combined flu and Covid vaccine in 2025 or 2026, after the jab passed a vital part of final-stage scientific checks in June 2024.
Pfizer and BioNTech are testing a similar two-in-one mRNA vaccine against flu and Covid.
How long after having Covid can I have a jab?
If you have Covid, or think you might, the NHS recommends delaying vaccination until you feel better.
It also advises postponing if you have a high temperature or feel otherwise unwell with any illness.
But there is no need to wait if you have recently recovered from Covid and feel well.
The vaccines do not infect people with Covid, and cannot cause positive test results.
What are the side effects of the Covid vaccine?
For most people, side effects are mild. The most common include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.
They are part of the body’s normal immune response to vaccination and tend to resolve themselves within a day or two.
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Very rarely myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle – has been linked to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines.
It has also been listed as a rare possible side effect of the Novavax vaccine, after a very small number of cases were reported during clinical trials.
There have also been extremely rare, but occasionally fatal, cases of people developing blood clots after taking the AstraZeneca vaccine.
A very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine.
Patients with serious allergies should talk to their healthcare professional before being vaccinated.
