Write a comment
The Department of Health plans to offer an autumn Covid-19 booster vaccination to people at high risk of serious disease and who are most likely to benefit from vaccination.
Health Minister Mike Nesbitt said: “Vaccination has been particularly effective at reducing the risk of serious illness, hospitalisation and death for those with underlying health conditions and for older people."
Eligible groups
- 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 laid out in the Immunisation Green Book
frontline health and social care workers
The Health Minister added “As we enter this fourth autumn season of our Covid-19 booster programme, we know that vaccination provides vital protection for these groups. It also provides protection for workers we rely on to provide crucial healthcare to our population across frontline health and social care services. That is why we will offer the vaccination to this cohort in this autumn’s Covid-19 programme, in addition to the groups recommended in advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI).
“I would urge everyone who falls into an eligible group to take up the offer of free vaccination for Covid-19 when the programme commences this autumn.”
Commenting on the announcement, Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Michael McBride said: “It remains as important as ever that those considered most at risk take up the offer of vaccination for Covid-19. I would encourage all who are eligible for this vaccine, and indeed those eligible for the influenza vaccine, to do so when they are invited.”
Details will be confirmed by the Public Health Agency on how and when eligible people can access the autumn booster vaccination programme in the coming weeks.
