Flu and COVID-19 Autumn Boosters

In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:

From 1 September:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

From 3 October:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by Those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants.

Those eligible for an autumn COVID-19 booster and flu jab are:

• residents in a care home for older adults
• all adults aged 65 years and over
• persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in the Green Book, including pregnant women
• frontline health and social care workers and staff in care homes for older adults

The autumn COVID-19 programme is targeted at those at high risk of the complications of COVID-19 infection, who may have not been vaccinated for a few months.

As the number of COVID-19 infections may increase over the winter, this dose should help to reduce your risk of being admitted to hospital with COVID-19. The vaccine may also provide some protection against mild COVID-19 infection but such protection does not last for long.

Booking opened on Monday 23 September - anyone eligible can now book their appointment via

• the NHS website,
• by downloading the NHS App
• or by calling 119 for free if they can’t get online

Vaccinations are available from 3 October.

You need to book your vaccination before 20 December 2024.

If you're eligible for the winter COVID-19 vaccine, you may be able to get a vaccine from:

• a local service, such as a community pharmacy or your GP surgery
• your care home (if you live in a care home)
• a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site

You do not need to wait for an invitation before booking an appointment.

You can book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment online or in the NHS App now.

Vaccines help to protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths from Covid.

Some people may think that COVID-19 isn’t as serious anymore but for more vulnerable people such as those aged 65 and over, residents in older adult care homes and anyone in a clinical risk group, including pregnant women, COVID-19 can be very serious. 

People who received an autumn booster vaccine last year were around 53% less likely to go to the hospital with Covid in the two to four weeks after getting vaccinated, compared to those who didn't get a booster.

Eligibility is outlined in Chapter 14a of the Green Book, a document published by UKHSA specifically for public health professionals. It can be a complicated document for non-experts, so we've listed some of the groups here:

• Organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients
• Those being treated with systemic steroids for more than a month
• Those living with HIV
• Those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children who are about to receive therapy
• Those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Those who require long-term treatment for immunosuppression
• Those with a history of haematological malignancy including chronic leukaemia, lymphomas, and leukaemia
• Those with genetic disorders affecting the immune system

While this list summarises some major groups, it does not cover everything. Please check online at nhs.uk/get-vaccine to see if you are eligible

COVID-19 vaccination is safe and effective. It gives you the best protection against COVID-19. Millions of adults and children around the world have had a COVID-19 vaccine.

The safety of the vaccines has been extensively reviewed in both adults and children by independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

The vaccines continue to be monitored and reports of serious side effects are very rare.

Tables 3 and 4 of the Covid-19 chapter of UKHSA the Green Book defines who is in a clinical risk group.

Clinical risk groups for individuals aged 16 years and over include:

• Chronic respiratory disease
• Chronic kidney disease
• Chronic neurological disease, such as stroke and individuals with cerebral palsy, profound multiple learning disabilities, Down’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and related or similar conditions.
• Diabetes
• Those with immunosuppression
• Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen
• Morbid obesity
• Severe mental illness
• Younger adults in long-stay nursing and residential care settings
• Pregnant women

Clinical risk groups for those aged under 16 years include:

• Chronic respiratory disease
• Chronic heart conditions
• Chronic conditions of the kidney, liver or digestive system
• Chronic neurological disease
• Endocrine disorders
• Immunosuppression
• Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen
• Serious genetic abnormalities that affect a number of systems
• Pregnancy