UK Offers Spring COVID-19 Boosters

The UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) today announced its advice for a 2023 spring COVID-19 booster program.

As of March 7, 2023, the JCVI advised that a spring booster dose should be offered to:

• adults aged 75 years and over
• residents in a care home for older adults
• individuals aged five years and over who are immunosuppressed
• eligible individuals will be offered the vaccine around six months after their previous dose.

The JCVI also advised the following vaccines may be used in the 2023 spring program:

1. Pfizer-BioNTech bivalent
2. Moderna bivalent
3. Sanofi/GSK monovalent (beta variant)
4. Novavax monovalent (wild-type variant) – only for use when alternative products are not considered clinically suitable.

The vaccine offered will depend on a person's age and local supply considerations. Children under 12 years will be offered a children's formulation of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of the JCVI's COVID-19 Committee, commented in today's press release, "Vaccination remains the best way to protect yourself against COVID-19, and the spring booster program provides an opportunity for those who are at the highest risk of severe illness to keep their immunity topped up."

"This year's spring program will bridge the gap to the planned booster program in the autumn, enabling the most vulnerable to be well protected throughout the summer.

NHS England is tasked with confirming operational details for the program in due course.