Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with a compromised immune system (a) who are eligible for a third dose of the covid-19 vaccine, (b) who are eligible and have been contacted regarding the third dose and (c) who have been contacted and have received the third dose; and how many of those in (a), (b) and (c) have blood cancer.

COVID-19 vaccination with a third primary dose for individuals with severe immunosuppression, including eligible patients with blood cancer, commenced on 13 September 2021. NHS England and NHS Improvement identified approximately 504,000 people who may be eligible, who were contacted by text and letter to advise them to discuss options with their clinician. All those eligible have been offered a third primary dose of the vaccine.

As of 20 December 2021, 87.7% of individuals identified as severely immunosuppressed have received a third primary COVID-19 vaccination in England. These figures are updated on an ad-hoc basis. Information on the number of these patients with blood cancer is not held centrally.