Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including people with post-Covid syndrome in the list of people qualified for an autumn booster vaccine.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI stated in its advice for the autumn 2024 COVID-19 vaccination programme that there remains considerable uncertainty regarding the impact of additional vaccine doses, beyond the primary vaccination, on the risk, progression, and outcome of post-COVID syndromes. The JCVI advised that better data is needed on the impact of additional vaccine doses on the occurrence and severity of post-COVID syndromes in the current era of Omicron sub-variants of the COVID-19 virus, and high population immunity. This advice is available at the following link:
On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in spring 2025, autumn 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:
The Government has accepted the JCVI’s advice on eligibility for the spring 2025 COVID-19 vaccination programme. The Government is considering the advice for autumn 2025 and spring 2026 carefully, and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of prioritising immunosuppressed children for eligibility of Covid-19 vaccinations.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The independent Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advises the Department on the approach to vaccination and immunisation. In line with advice from the JCVI, individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed are eligible for a COVID-19 vaccination in the autumn 2024 programme.
On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme in 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:
On 12 December the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice on spring 2025, including that individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed should be eligible for vaccination in spring 2025.
The Government is carefully considering the advice from the JCVI on COVID-19 vaccination for autumn 2025 and spring 2026, and will respond in due course.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the eligibility of Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommendations to include people over 79.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is the United Kingdom’s expert committee that advises the Government on immunisations programmes. In line with JCVI’s advice, the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination programme for adults turning 75 years old began on 1 September 2024 in England, alongside a one-off catch-up programme to rapidly vaccinate all those already aged 75 to 79 years old. The JCVI considered that there was less certainty about how well the vaccine works in people aged 80 years old and older, as there were not enough people of this age in the clinical trials to be able to see if the vaccines are protective in this age band. The Department will consider any further JCVI advice on who should be offered an RSV immunisation as the committee continues to keep the evidence under review.
A phased expansion of the eligible cohort for the routine shingles vaccination programme began in September 2023. The programme currently includes those aged 50 years old and over who are at increased risk of serious complications, and those turning 65 years old on or after 1 September 2023, as well as those turning 70 years old, as was previously the case. In November 2024, the JCVI provided advice to the Department on eligibility for the shingles vaccination programme. This included advice that the Government should consider expanding the shingles vaccination offer to include older adult cohorts aged 80 years old and over. The Department will consider this advice when setting the policy on who should be offered shingles vaccinations.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure timely (a) approval and (b) delivery of Novavax vaccine for immunosuppressed people.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has now approved an adapted version of the Nuvaxovid COVID-19 vaccine that targets the Omicron JN.1 COVID-19 subvariant. The press release is available at the following link:
The UK Health Security Agency is unable to comment on any ongoing procurement activity for future campaigns due to commercial sensitivities.
Asked by: Calum Miller (Liberal Democrat - Bicester and Woodstock)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of providing free covid-19 vaccinations for carers.
Answered by Andrew Gwynne
The Government is committed to protecting those most vulnerable to COVID-19 through vaccination, as guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). On 13 November 2024, the JCVI published advice on the COVID-19 vaccination programme covering vaccination in 2025 and spring 2026. This advice is available at the following link:
The Government is considering this advice carefully and will respond in due course.