Eligibility for the vaccine

Wales is following the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice on eligibility which is based on evidence on who is most at risk of serious illness and death from COVID-19.

Adults

All adults aged 18 and over have now been offered a primary course (normally two doses) and one booster dose of the vaccine in Wales.

Those at highest risk of serious illness following COVID-19 infection were also offered a seasonal booster dose in Spring 2022.

Anyone who has not yet received a primary course and at least one booster should contact their health board for an appointment.

Please click the appropriate health board link here.

Autumn 2022

The JCVI recommended an additional COVID-19 booster programme starting in September 2022. The eligible groups for the autumn booster campaign are:

Residents in care homes for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
frontline health and social care workers
all adults over the age of 50 years
adults aged 18-49 with certain health conditions
adults who are household contacts of people with immunosupression
pregnant women
carers

If you are eligible for an autumn booster you will be offered this between September and December 2022, at least three months after your last dose of vaccine.

You do not need to have had a previous booster to be eligible. If you have not had your first booster before September 2022 then only an autumn booster will be needed.

You should not attend a vaccine appointment if you have COVID-19 symptoms or are:

self-isolating
waiting for a COVID-19 test result or
within 4 weeks of having a positive COVID-19 test or symptoms

Children and young people

All children and young people who turned five before 1 September 2022 have been offered a primary course of vaccine (normally two doses).

All children aged over 12 with certain health conditions and all young people aged 16 or over were also advised to have a booster dose in addition to their primary course.

Autumn 2022

The JCVI recommended a COVID-19 booster programme starting in September of 2022. The eligible groups for the autumn booster programme are:

children and young people aged 5-17 with certain health conditions
children and young people aged 5-17 who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
pregnant women
young people aged over 16 who are carers

If you are eligible for an autumn booster you will be offered this between September and December 2022, at least three months after your last dose of vaccine.

You do not need to have had a previous booster to be eligible. If you have not had your first booster before September 2022 then only an autumn booster will be needed.

For more information go to the Green Book COVID-19: the green book, chapter 14a - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

COVID-19 vaccination and severe immunosuppression – third primary dose

People who were severely immunosuppressed (had a very weakened immune system because of a health condition or medical treatment) when they received the first or second dose of COVID-19 vaccine may not have made a good immune response to the vaccine.

The JCVI have recommended that these individuals aged 5 years and over will need a third primary dose of COVID-19 vaccine. This includes those who had or have:

blood cancers (such as leukaemia or lymphoma)
lowered immunity due to treatment (such as high dose steroid medication, biological therapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy)
lowered immunity due to inherited disorders of the immune system
an organ or bone marrow transplant
disease that affects the immune system (such as poorly controlled HIV)
other disease or treatments (as advised by a specialist)

This third dose is not a booster – it is an additional dose of vaccine which aims to increase levels of protection for these individuals. Severely immunosuppressed individuals may be eligible for subsequent booster doses in line with JCVI advice.

For more information go to the Green Book COVID-19: the green book, chapter 14a - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).