Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of allowing people to request to have the Oxford-AstraZeneca covid-19 vaccine as a booster.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that those eligible for the COVID-19 booster vaccine should be offered a booster dose of either the Pfizer vaccine or the Moderna vaccine. Where mRNA vaccines cannot be offered, vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine may be considered for those who received AstraZeneca vaccine in the primary course.

There are currently no plans to allow patients to request the type of COVID-19 vaccination they receive. People will be offered the vaccine type most appropriate to them, taking into account the JCVI’s advice and any allergies to ingredients of particular vaccine ingredients. They will be directed to a vaccine site with the appropriate vaccine available.