Winter Covid-19 vaccines scrapped for under 65s

For the first time since the pandemic began COVID vaccines will not be offered to healthy under-65s this winter.

In May 2023, when the World Health Organisation declared the Covid-19 pandemic as over, restrictions surrounding the disease dramatically loosened. The most recent example is following advice from UK immunisation experts, vaccines will no longer be authorised to healthy people under the 65.

However, despite the new announcement, younger people with underlying health issues, along with a number of other specific groups, should remain eligible.

Committee chair professor, Wei Shen Lim, said the move to revoke the vaccines was about focusing on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill.

Professor Lim said: ‘These persons will benefit the most from a booster vaccination. It is important that everyone who is eligible takes up a booster this autumn – helping to prevent them from hospitalisations and deaths arising from the virus over the winter months.’

News of the vaccine age limit being tightened has come as the age cut-off for routine eligibility of the flu jab has also been set at 65, after it was reduced to 50 during the pandemic.

The full list of those eligible for the vaccine includes:

• Residents in a care home for older adults
• All adults aged 65 and over 
• People aged six months to 64 years in clinical risk group 
• Frontline health workers 
• People aged 12 to 64 who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
• People aged to 16 to 64 who are carers and staff working in care homes for older adults 

England’s Health Secretary, Steve Barclay, said he had to accept the advice, and NHS England would soon confirm details of the rollout, which aims to be finished by December.

Image: Daniel Schludi