Tag: second booster

Second boosters for at-risk groups in Scotland

Second booster jabs will be offered to those aged 75 and over and those at highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease in Scotland following the latest Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice.

Second booster jabs will be offered to those aged 75 and over and those at highest risk of severe COVID-19 disease following the latest Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice.

To protect those groups a spring booster dose will be offered at least 24 weeks after the last vaccine dose to:

  • adults aged 75 years and over
  • residents in care homes for older adults
  • individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed

These people will be invited as they become eligible from at least 24 weeks after their last booster, with the first groups receiving appointments from the second week in March.

Health Secretary Humza Yousaf said: “We know that these high priority groups are at higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19, and I therefore welcome the further advice from the JCVI and confirm Scotland will offer a further dose to these people from next month.

“Vaccination has been our most effective tool against coronavirus, and that will continue to be the case. I continue to encourage everyone to receive the doses they are eligible for as and when they become available.”

Deputy Chief Medical Officer Professor Nicola Steedman said: “Our vaccination programme has been highly successful, with 85% of the eligible population having had a booster or third dose vaccination and the World Health Organisation estimating some 28,000 lives saved to date in Scotland.

“However, the degree of protection offered by the vaccines wanes over time, which is why booster vaccination is needed to maintain the best protection against COVID-19 for those at highest risk of severe effects of the virus. The additional booster dose will improve your level of protection significantly and is the best way to protect your health and those around you. 

“The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme continues to be the prevention of severe disease, hospitalisation and mortality, arising from COVID-19. I encourage anyone who is still to have any dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated as soon as they are eligible.”

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon will update MSPs on Scotland’s plans for recovery from the pandemic in a statement to Holyrood this afternoon.

No need for second booster at this time, say health experts

Boosters continue to provide high levels of protection against severe disease from Omicron in older adults

Latest data from UKHSA shows booster doses are continuing to provide high levels of protection against severe disease from the Omicron variant among older adults.

Figures show that around 3 months after they received the third jab, protection against hospitalisation among those aged 65 and over remains at about 90%.

With just 2 vaccine doses, protection against severe disease drops to around 70% after 3 months and to 50% after 6 months.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has taken this latest evidence into account in their ongoing review of the booster programme.

The Committee advises that at this present time:

  • there is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, or fourth jab, to the most vulnerable (care home residents and those aged over 80) – the timing and need for further booster doses will continue to be reviewed as the data evolves
  • priority should continue to be given to rolling out first booster doses to all age groups
  • unvaccinated individuals should come forward for their first 2 doses as soon as possible

Professor Wei Shen Lim, the JCVI’s chair of COVID-19 immunisation, said: “The current data shows the booster dose is continuing to provide high levels of protection against severe disease, even for the most vulnerable older age groups.

“For this reason, the committee has concluded there is no immediate need to introduce a second booster dose, though this will continue to be reviewed.

“The data is highly encouraging and emphasises the value of a booster jab. With Omicron continuing to spread widely, I encourage everyone to come forward for their booster dose, or if unvaccinated, for their first 2 doses, to increase their protection against serious illness.”

The latest study looked at booster doses in those aged over 65, who were among the first to be eligible when the booster rollout began in mid-September.

Whilst with a booster dose, the duration of protection against severe disease remains high, protection against mild symptomatic infection is more short-lived and drops to around 30% by about 3 months.