Everyone who can get Covid-19 jab in Autumn 2024 - full list as new variant found in UK
Experts have revealed a new Covid variant has been found in the UK. According to a scientist the XEC variant is "just getting started" with reports it is likely to be the dominant type in winter 2024.
It was first spotted in Germany in June, but has since been detected elsewhere including the UK and the USA. Prof Francois Balloux, director of the Genetics Institute at University College London, told BBC News that XEC has a "slight transmission advantage" over other recent Covid variants however vaccines should still offer good protection.
And Eric Topol Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, in California, told the LA Times that XEC was "just getting started". He warned while it might be weeks or months before it happens "XEC is definitely taking charge".
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However, vaccines are still believed to be suitable to fight the worst of the infection. And to protect those most at risk the NHS is offering free booster jab on the NHS.
The vaccinations are continuously updated - however, a version specifically targeting XEC, which emerged from earlier Omicron subvariants, has not yet been released. But according to the UK Health Security Agency it is worth having one if you are eligible.
It said: "As we move into autumn, protection from any earlier Covid-19 vaccination you may have had will be starting to wane. For those who are more likely to become seriously ill from Covid-19, the NHS offers a free vaccine in the autumn, previously known as the ‘Autumn Booster’.
"Current vaccines provide good protection against severe disease and hospitalisation. UKHSA surveillance data relating to last autumn’s programme shows that those who received a vaccine were around 45% less likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19 from 2 weeks following vaccination, compared to those who remained unvaccinated. Protection lasts for around 4 months.
"Vaccination continues to help protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths arising from Covid-19. Between November, December and January over 38,000 people were admitted to hospital with the virus."
However since the initial wave of innoculations during the Covid pandemic there has been a reduction in who can have one on the NHS. There are several key groups who do still qualify. Here's who:
Eligible groups autumn 2024
adults aged 65 years and over
residents in a care home for older adults
individuals aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group (as defined in tables 3 or 4 in the Covid-19 chapter of the Green Book)
frontline NHS and social care workers, and those working in care homes for older people
The eligibility is the same across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The vaccine should usually be offered no earlier than around six months after the last vaccine dose. If you are eligible, you can get protection from an autumn Covid-19 vaccination even if you have not taken up a Covid-19 vaccine offer in the past.
Eligibility for the immunosuppressed
The UKHSA said: "We understand that having a weakened immune system (immunosuppression) is a lot less straight forward than the other criteria. Looking online can cause even more confusion, as people might see themselves (and be considered by others) as immunosuppressed but might not fit the immunosuppression criteria for vaccination."
Eligibility is outlined in Chapter 14a of the Green Book, a document published by UKHSA specifically for public health professionals. Key groups include:
Organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients
Those being treated with systemic steroids for more than a month
Those living with HIV
Those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children who are about to receive therapy
Those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
Those who require long-term treatment for immunosuppression
Those with a history of haematological malignancy including chronic leukaemia, lymphomas, and leukaemia
Those with genetic disorders affecting the immune system
However there are others who do qualify. Check online at nhs.uk/get-vaccine to see if you are eligible.
How to access the Covid-19 autumn vaccination
NHS England will confirm details on how and when eligible people can access the autumn vaccine in due course. COVID-19 spreads more easily in winter because we spend more time indoors with others.
Having your Covid-19 vaccination this autumn will give you protection from serious Covid illness over winter.