Covid-19 vaccines are safe and effective and have been proven to reduce hospitalisations and severe illness. They give you the best protection against Covid-19.

Seasonal Boosters

Some people at increased risk, for example, because of age or certain medical conditions, may be offered a seasonal booster. If you are eligible for this, the NHS will contact you when it’s your turn to get vaccinated.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised that an extra booster vaccine dose in spring 2023 should be offered to:

• adults aged 75 years and over
• residents in a care home for older adults
• individuals aged 5 years and over who have a weakened immune system

People who have a weakened immune system can include those who had or have*:

• A blood cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma
• An organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant
• HIV infection at all stages
• A genetic disorder affecting the immune system
• A treatment such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Certain medicines that increase your risk of infection, such as azathioprine, dexamethasone, prednisolone, ciclosproin or mycophenolate (depending on your dosage)
• A long-term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma and psoriasis

*The above list is a summary and does not cover everything.  If you are unsure whether you are eligible, talk to your GP or consultant.

Eligible people can book an appointment through 119, the NHS website or the NHS App.

How to get a first or second dose appointment

If you are aged 16 or over you can book by visiting the NHS website or by calling 119. You can also walk in to some of our clinics without an appointment.

Covid-19 vaccinations for everyone who was aged 5 on or before 31 August 2022 will end after 30 June, 2023, following recent advice from the JCVI. After 30 June, the NHS offer will become more targeted to those at increased risk, usually during seasonal campaigns.

Third doses for people who are immunosuppressed

If you had a severely weakened immune system when you had your first 2 doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, you will be offered an additional primary dose (3rd dose) before your booster.

The first 2 doses may not have given you as much protection as they can for people who do not have a severely weakened immune system. An additional primary dose may help give you better protection.

People with a severely weakened immune system include those who had or have:

• a blood cancer (such as leukaemia or lymphoma)
• a weakened immune system due to a treatment (such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
• an organ or bone marrow transplant
• a condition that means you have a very high risk of getting infections
• a condition or treatment your specialist advises makes you eligible for an additional primary dose

You’ll usually be offered an additional primary dose at least 8 weeks after you had your 2nd dose. You can get a booster dose from 3 months after your additional primary dose. If it has been at least 3 months since you had your booster dose, you can also get a spring booster.

If you think you’re eligible for an additional primary dose but have not been contacted, speak to a GP or your hospital specialist.

Book your vaccine or find a walk in clinic on the NHS website.

How to get your vaccine

Book online:

• Visit www.nhs.uk/get-vaccination

Book using the NHS App:

• Log in and choose ‘Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination’. The app is available at nhs.uk/NHSapp

Find a walk-in site:

• You can also go to a walk-in vaccination site without an appointment. Check before you go at www.nhs.uk/vaccine-walk-in.*

*Please be aware that once a walk-in centre has used it's stock for the day, they will generally close to the public. Apologies for any inconvenient this may cause.

Phone:

• If you can’t get online, phone 119 free of charge to book an appointment or find a walk-in site. Someone else can phone for you. If you need an interpreter, please let us know when you call.
• You can use text phone 18001 119 or the NHS British Sign Language interpreter service at signvideo.co.uk/nhs119.