People in Cheshire are to be offered a Covid vaccine from September 11 to protect what experts say is a new Covid variant.
It follows an announcement by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on the risks presented by the new BA.2.86 variant.
Adult Covid and flu vaccination programmes had been due to start in October.
But those most at risk including adult care home residents will be vaccinated from 11 September.
Residents of older adult care homes and those most at risk including the immunosuppressed will receive Covid vaccine first.
Carers, pregnant women, and health and social care staff will all be among groups to be offered a Covid jab this winter, as well as adults aged 65 and over.
Eligible people should wait to receive an invite from their local provider.
From 18 September, the NHS will invite eligible people to book an appointment on the National Booking Service.
Those who already booked an appointment for their flu vaccination in September can go ahead.
If vaccine supply has been ordered for Covid and flu, sites will start vaccinating against both.
Dr Fiona Lemmens, Associate Medical Director, NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said: “Vaccinations are our best defence against flu and COVID-19 ahead of what could be a very challenging winter.
“In line with the latest expert advice, we’ll now be starting vaccination earlier than originally planned and NHS teams across Cheshire and Merseyside will accelerate delivery of the programme to ensure as many eligible people as possible are vaccinated by the end of October.
“Once eligible people receive their invitations, I’d urge them to come forward as soon as possible to get their vital protection against both covid and flu.”
Last year, in Cheshire and Merseyside more than 940,000 people were given a flu vaccine and more than 784,000 eligible people received the Covid autumn dose.
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation says those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:
• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2023
• school-aged children (from Reception to Year 11)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants.
Those eligible for an Autumn Covid vaccine are:
• residents in a care home for older adults
• all adults aged 65 years and over
• persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
• frontline health and social care workers
• persons aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts (as defined in the Green Book) of people with immunosuppression
• persons aged 16 to 64 years who are carers (as defined in the Green Book) and staff working in care homes for older adults.
Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust’s Living Well Service will run its mobile outreach service across Cheshire and Merseyside.
For more information about Living Well or to see the service’s timetable visit www.cwp.nhs.uk/livingwellservice
Will this be an updated vaccine or the same one which was used last April as a booster for the over 75’s ?