Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason spring booster vaccinations will not be offered to close family members of those acutely vulnerable to covid-19.

The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is to reduce the risk of severe disease across the population. Advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has prioritised the most vulnerable of the clinical risk groups for vaccination in this precautionary COVID-19 booster programme for spring 2023.

The programme targets those over the age of 75 years and those who are immunosuppressed. Household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals were eligible in the autumn/winter 2022-23 booster programme. Protection against severe COVID-19 disease does persist for some months, as shown in analyses of real-world data, and previously considered by JCVI. This data is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccine-weekly-surveillance-reports

Vaccination does not significantly limit transmission, so there is no strong reason to prioritise vaccination for family members of those who are at high risk of severe illness.