Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether people aged under 50 will be offered a covid-19 autumn booster.

The Government continues to be guided by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on who should be offered COVID-19 vaccinations. On 15 July 2022, the Government accepted the JCVI’s advice that the primary aim of the COVID-19 booster vaccine programme this autumn should be to augment immunity in those who are at higher risk from COVID-19 and thereby optimise protection against severe COVID-19, specifically hospitalisation and death, over winter 2022 to 2023. This includes all adults aged 50 years and over and individuals aged five to 49 in a clinical risk group. The clinical risk groups for COVID-19 vaccination are defined in the UK Health Security Agency’s ‘Green Book’ on vaccines and immunisation.