Booster campaign for Covid 19 extends to those aged above 40

After input from the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation), the Covid 19 booster will be available for those aged between 40 and 49 years of age. This will be offered half a year after receiving their second dose, with the two options being Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna.

In September, the UK government started the booster program for Covid 19. This started with the over 50s age group who had a significant risk of developing chronic disease.

Now the campaign has grown, with the next age group (between 40 and 49) being eligible to receive the booster six months following their receival of the second Covid 19 vaccine.

Currently there are over 1,100 vaccine sites that are run by pharmacies, but this is anticipated to increase to 1,300 in the next few weeks to provide the booster.

The UKHSA (UK Health Security Agency) say that individuals who get a booster vaccine have a higher protection (over 90%) against the virus.

JCVI has also suggested that after three months, 16- and 17-year-olds that are not at risk should have the subsequent dose of the Pfizer vaccine. This advice was made following new scientific proof that the second vaccination “increases the level of protection and is important for extending the duration of protection.”

Chair of Covid 19 immunisation for JCVI, Wei Shen Lim, said that the “Booster vaccine doses in more vulnerable adults, and second vaccine doses in 16 to 17-year-olds are important ways to increase our protection against COVID-19 infection and severe disease. These vaccinations will also help extend our protection into 2022.”

The UK heatlh and social care secretary announced that all UK governments have taken the advice “to extend the additional offer of a booster jab to people aged 40 and over and offer a second dose of a vaccine to all young people aged 16 to 17 as part of the primary vaccination schedule”.

By the 13th of November, over 12.5 million people got a booster, with over 50 million having their initial jab and over 45 million having their second.