MILLIONS of people will be invited for their autumn Covid booster jab in England and Scotland next week, with care home residents the first to receive them.

Although infections are falling, health bosses are predicting a resurgence of Covid and flu this autumn and winter.

They are urging those eligible to protect themselves from serious illness by getting vaccines against both.

A recently approved vaccine against the Omicron variant will be used first.

However, there is not enough of Moderna’s “bivalent” vaccine to protect everyone aged over 50 so health officials say people should take whichever booster they are offered. These will be the vaccines used in the spring.

A new updated vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech has been approved for use by the European Medicines Agency and a decision on approval for the UK is expected soon.

The groups who qualify for an autumn booster are:

• adults aged 50 and over
• people aged five to 49 with health conditions that put them at higher risk – including pregnant women
• care-home staff
• frontline health and social care workers
• carers aged 16 to 49
• household contacts of people with weakened immune systems

The most vulnerable will be prioritised first.

For more information, click below.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-62766447