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Autumn Booster Campaign

The JCVI has recommended a booster campaign for certain groups, based on emerging evidence of reduced immunity over time. 

Vaccination will begin in September in Wales, initially offering a booster vaccine to people living and working in care homes and frontline health and social care staff.

The aim of booster vaccination is to reduce incidence of COVID-19 and maximise protection in those who are most vulnerable to serious infection, ahead of the winter months. 

The vaccine continues to be the best way to prevent serious illness and the spread of COVID-19 and every eligible adult is urged to take-up both doses when asked and a booster dose, if eligible.

In their advice the JCVI recommends that individuals who were eligible and received vaccination in Phase 1 of the COVID-19 vaccination programme (priority groups 1-9) should be offered a third dose COVID-19 booster vaccine at least 6-months after the second dose. 

The single priority group lists:

  • those living in residential care homes for older adults
  • all adults aged 50 years or over
  • frontline health and social care workers
  • all those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 (as set out in the Green Book), and adult carers
  • adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals

An mRNA vaccine is recommended (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) irrespective of which vaccine was given as a primary dose.  

As most younger adults will only receive their second COVID-19 vaccine dose in late summer, the benefits of booster vaccination in this group will be considered by the JCVI at a later time, when more information is available. 

There may be opportunities to offer for the COVID-19 vaccine and flu vaccine to be co-administered, but this is only where timing and logistics allow. 

It is important that those eligible under the JCVI advice receive a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, when they are called for an appointment, as there is the possibility of reduced immunity of their previous doses over time. 

Please wait to be invited, your health board will contact you when it’s your turn. Please do not contact your GP to ask about appointments. 

Further information can be found here.