Around 700,000 Brits to get free Covid-19 booster shots this week

Around 700,000 people in England will receive a free Covid-19 vaccine this week as the country’s spring booster campaign begins.

From Monday, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems will be able to get a vaccine for free to reduce the effects of the disease.

Some 48,400 vaccines have already been delivered to adults in care homes, officials say, with vaccine teams having visited around 3,400 facilities by Thursday 18 April.

Vaccines significantly reduce the chances of hospitalization and death from Covid-19. This is especially important for those at higher risk of complications.

Follow-up doses help maintain existing protection against the disease, which may wane over time.

Steve Russell, who heads vaccines and vaccinations at the country’s public health system, the National Health Service, said last year’s data showed “those who got the spring shot were up to 50% less likely to be admitted to hospital for three up to four months. afterward.”

Officials urged eligible members of the public to close their downloads last week. These people will also be asked to book by phone, letter or email.

Private vaccines are now also available in the UK for the first time.

Who is eligible and why?

Scientists at the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunization advise health leaders on vaccine eligibility. They compare evidence about the benefits and risks of a shot against the risks of the disease it targets to come up with their recommendations.

In February, JCVI scientists boosters are recommended in people aged 75 and over, in people living in aged care homes and in people aged six months and over who are immunocompromised.

This includes people whose immune systems are weakened by treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, certain immunosuppressive drugs, or organ transplants. It also includes those who have particular health conditions that affect the immune system, including multiple myeloma, HIV infection, and certain genetic disorders.

A full list of relevant immunosuppressive conditions can be found on the page 24 of the UK Green Paper on Covid-19.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, chair of Covid-19 immunization at the JCVI, said at the time that “the spring program will continue to focus on those most at risk of becoming seriously ill, who would benefit most from a further dose of vaccine.

“It is important that everyone who is eligible makes the offer this spring,” he said in a statement. “Current vaccines provide good protection against serious illness, hospitalization and can protect the most vulnerable from death.”

Mary Ramsay, who heads public health programs at the UK Health Safety Agency (UKHSA), said “ongoing surveillance” showed that Covid-19 was still causing “serious illness, particularly in older age groups and those who are immunosuppressed”.

However, the data “clearly” shows that booster campaigns in the spring and fall “are effective in helping to protect those most at risk – halving the chance of hospitalization from the virus,” he added.

The health system under pressure

Minimizing the impact of Covid-19 on England’s public health system remains important as hospitals struggle to keep up with demand for services.

The country has been experiencing an emergency care crisis for at least two years, with a shortage of available hospital beds leading to long waits for admission, emergency department overcrowding and ambulance delays.

There are many factors behind the crisis, including a lack of social care capacity for people who are medically fit to leave hospital but need extra support in the community to be discharged safely.

It is possible that long waits for elective procedures, exacerbated by a pandemic that has seen vast swaths of canceled operations, have left people sicker than they would have been if they had been seen sooner.

An aging population and widening levels of inequality have also contributed to increasing demand for services.

The real impact of Covid-19 on the country is still not picked by the researchers. Last month, statisticians revealed that illness is considered a major factor in reducing healthy life expectancy in the UK.