Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the number of COVID-19 cases.

Based on the latest scientific evidence, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended a COVID-19 vaccination for those at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. This includes all adults aged 65 years old and over and those aged six months old and over with specified underlying health conditions.

The National Health Service COVID-19 vaccination programme provides vital protection to those eligible, keeping people from developing serious illness, and helping to minimise hospitalisations during busy winter months. This year’s autumn COVID-19 vaccine programme started on 11 September 2023 in England as a precautionary measure following the identification a new COVID-19 variant called BA 2.86. As of 30 November 2023, over 11.2 million autumn vaccinations for COVID-19 have been administered since start of the autumn campaign. The programme has seen a fast rollout of COVID-19 vaccination to care home residents.

Additionally, on 1 November 2023, the Get Winter Strong campaign was launched urging those eligible who have not yet come forward for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines to ‘get winter strong’ and join the millions of others in taking up the offer ahead of the festive and new year season.