Eligible people can now book a Covid-19 Spring booster vaccination.

Following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) people aged 75 and over and those who are immunosuppressed can now book their potentially life-saving booster appointment as the biggest and most successful vaccination programme in history of the NHS enters a new phase.

There are two ways eligible people will be invited to book their latest Covid-19 vaccination:

• The NHS will send a letter inviting people to book online at nhs.uk/covidvaccine or by calling 119.

OR

• People will be contacted by their local GP practice who will invite them to book an appointment at one of their clinics.

Dr Julie Yates, Lead Consultant for Screening and Immunisations at NHS England and NHS Improvement South West, said: “Covid-19 has not gone away. Case rates are rising across the country including in the South West.

“The Spring booster will increase people’s immunity against Covid-19 and offers the best protection against serious illness.

“If you are eligible please book an appointment as soon as you are invited to do so, it could save your life.”

Recent research from the UK Health Security Agency has shown that the NHS booster programme has helped prevent around 157,000 hospitalisations across the country since mid-December.

In the South West more than 12.6 million vaccinations have been administered since the start of the programme in December 2020.

The NHS has made it easier than ever for immunosuppressed people to get their boosters – they can now show they are eligible by providing either a letter from a GP team or specialist inviting them for a vaccine, a hospital or GP letter about their medication or treatment, or a prescription or medication box with their name and date on it.

It is still important for severely immunosuppressed people who have been advised to have a 3^rd primary dose, for example those undergoing cancer treatment, to get this before getting a booster, for maximum protection from Covid-19.