Covid jab programme to be ‘smaller in future’

The Covid-19 vaccine programme is expected to be slimmed down in the future due to cost.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) – which advises the Government on vaccination – has indicated that a 2024 autumn booster programme will likely be “smaller” than previous years.

The JCVI said that Covid is now a “relatively mild disease” for the vast majority of people.

And an increase in population immunity “permits the development of a more targeted programme” aimed at people who are most likely to become seriously ill from the disease, it added.

The JCVI said it is required to assess the cost-effectiveness of all routine vaccination programmes.

In a statement released on Wednesday, the group said: “As the UK moves towards routine procurement and delivery of Covid-19 vaccination, cost-effectiveness will become a major determining factor in future advice pertaining to the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

“Based on the most recent cost-effectiveness assessment, it is anticipated that any autumn 2024 campaign would likely be smaller than previous autumn Covid-19 campaigns.”

The Government said that further advice on the autumn programme is expected “in due course”.

Covid-19 has not yet settled into a clear seasonal pattern and infection with the virus which causes the disease “continues to occur throughout the year”, the JCVI said.

It added that the “greatest threat” from Covid comes in winter – both in terms of risk of infection and pressure in the NHS.

But it said that it will “continue to review the optimal timing and frequency of Covid-19 vaccination beyond spring 2024”.

It comes as the JCVI set out who should be eligible for the spring Covid-19 booster jab this year.

Over-75s, those who live in care homes for older adults and people who are aged six months and over and are immunosuppressed will be offered the jab.

This should be offered six months after a previous dose, the JCVI said.

In a written statement to the House of Commons, health minister Maria Caulfield said the Government had accepted the advice and that all UK countries intend to follow the JCVI advice.

Professor Wei Shen Lim, chairman of Covid-19 immunisation on the JCVI, said: “The Covid-19 spring programme will continue to focus on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill who will benefit the most from a further vaccine dose.

“It is important that everyone who is eligible takes up the offer this spring.

“Current vaccines provide good protection against severe disease, hospitalisation and can protect those most vulnerable from death.”

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said that surveillance data on last spring’s programme showed that people who received a vaccine were around 50% less likely to be admitted to hospital with Covid-19 from two weeks following vaccination, compared with those who did not receive a jab.

Dr Mary Ramsay, director of public health programmes at the UKHSA, said: “Our on-going surveillance shows that Covid-19 continues to cause severe illness, particularly in older age groups and those who are immunosuppressed, but also clearly shows that spring and autumn vaccines are effective in helping to protect those most at risk – halving the likelihood of hospitalisation from the virus.

“I urge everyone who is eligible to take up the offer of a vaccine as soon as possible once invited – it will help improve your immunity to Covid-19, which does wane over time.”

The UKHSA said that NHS England would confirm details on how and when eligible people can access the spring vaccine “in due course”.