Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of not giving the COVID vaccine to NHS patients under 75 who are clinically vulnerable.

The Government’s policy on the groups eligible for vaccination programmes is based on the advice of the independent expert body, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI carefully considered the latest evidence on the risk of illness and serious disease in specific groups, as well as cost-effectiveness analysis, to provide the Government with advice on the COVID-19 autumn 2025 vaccination programme. The evidence indicates that whilst the risk from COVID-19 is now much lower for most people, adults aged 75 years old and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and those who are immunosuppressed are those at highest risk of serious COVID-19 disease.

A more targeted vaccination programme, aimed at individuals with a higher risk of developing serious disease, was advised for autumn 2025.

The latest UK Health Security Agency data in the national flu and COVID-19 surveillance report supports this change in eligibility, showing that there is a strong association between age and COVID-19 hospitalisation rates. These reports can be accessed on the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/weekly-national-flu-reports#2025-to-2026-season

As part of its role, the JCVI reviews vaccination programmes as new data becomes available, and this includes if strong evidence should emerge indicating a change in the groups affected. Accordingly, the Government will consider any additional advice from the JCVI in due course.