Coronavirus: Vaccination
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including people with post-Covid syndrome in the list of people qualified for an autumn booster vaccine.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI stated in its advice for the autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme that there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the impact of additional vaccine doses, beyond the primary vaccination, on the risk, progression, and outcome of post-COVID syndromes. The JCVI advised that better data is needed on the impact of additional vaccine doses on the occurrence and severity of post-COVID syndromes in the current era of Omicron sub-variants of the COVID-19 virus, and high population immunity. This advice is available at the following link:
On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in spring 2025, autumn 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:
The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme. The Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.
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