Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to assess the potential merits of covid-19 vaccine boosters for (a) people with blood cancer and (b) other people who are immunocompromised.

To ensure ongoing protection for the United Kingdom’s population, particularly the most vulnerable, we are preparing for a potential booster vaccination programme. Whilst we are planning for several potential scenarios, final decisions on the timing and scope of the booster programme in terms of when to give boosters to which groups and with which vaccines will not be taken until later this year, in line with results from key clinical studies. Any decision on a booster vaccination programme will be informed by independent advice from the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

As part of the National Core Studies Immunity Programme (NCSi), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is providing initial funding of £1.8 million for 12 months towards the OCTAVE study. The OCTAVE study will examine the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in clinically at-risk groups and will help to inform planning for the booster programme. This includes COVID-19 vaccine responses in patients with certain immunosuppressed conditions, including those with inflammatory disorders, high risk cancer patient groups, blood cancer patients and patients with severe kidney and liver disease. Cancer patient groups include those with blood cancer (leukaemia, myeloma, and bone marrow (stem cell) transplants).

Studies into the specific effect of a COVID-19 booster vaccine on certain groups have not yet been established. However, as part of the NCSi, UKRI is providing £3 million in funding towards a new research call to support projects examining one or both of the following areas - the nature and quality of COVID-19 vaccine responses, the mechanisms of immune failure that lead to either COVID-19 re-infection or vaccine breakthrough. As the nation's largest funder of health and care research, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including on COVID-19 vaccination and immunocompromised individuals.