In a press release posted on 30th June, the Department of Health and Social Care said that they are hoping to offer a Covid-19 booster vaccine to those considered vulnerable, in September to ensure that their “protection they have from first and second doses is maintained ahead of the winter against new variants.”
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advised the government on who should be prioritised for a third dose, stating that those who are vulnerable should be first in line for the booster shot.
It is expected that the final JCVI advice will be published before September and will take into account the “latest epidemiological situation, additional scientific data from trials such as Cov-Boost, real-time surveillance of the effectiveness of the vaccines over time and emerging variants.”
The newly appointed Health and Social Care Secretary, Sajid Javid, said: “We need to learn to live with this virus. Our first Covid-19 vaccination programme is restoring freedom in this country, and our booster programme will protect this freedom.
“We are working with the NHS to make sure we can rapidly deliver this programme to maintain protection for people in the winter months.”
Younger people are expected to become fully vaccinated by late summer, therefore the “benefits” of giving a booster shot to this group will be considered “when more information is available.”
The booster jab will be offered to the following vulnerable groups in two stages:
Stage 1: The following people will be offered a third Covid-19 booster vaccine with the annual flu jab as soon as possible from September 2021:
- adults aged 16 years and over who are immunosuppressed
- those living in residential care homes for older adults
- all adults aged 70 years or over
- adults aged 16 years and over who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable
frontline health and social care workers
Stage 2: The following people will be offered a third Covid-19 booster jab as soon as possible after stage one with emphasis on the deployment of the flu vaccine where eligible:
- all adults aged 50 years and over
- all adults aged 16 to 49 years who are in an influenza or COVID-19 at-risk group as outlined in the Green Book
- adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals
Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Jonathan Van-Tam, said: “Being able to manage Covid-19 with fewer or no restrictions is now heavily dependent on the continued success of the vaccination programme.
“We want to be on the front foot for Covid-19 booster vaccination to keep the probability of loss of vaccine protection due to waning immunity or variants as low as possible. Especially over the coming autumn and winter.”
In the United States, Moderna is carrying out vaccine trials for Covid booster shots, of which, those involved have reported “more severe” side effects.
It is disturbing to hear that the government is planning on rolling out a third vaccine to target the “most vulnerable”, an experimental gene therapy that has caused over 973,435 adverse reactions, including 1,356 deaths as of 16th June 2021.
By introducing an unnecessary booster shot for the Covid jab, it only forces the “deadly virus” to be at the forefront of the British public’s mind, forcing the cycle of fear to continue.