Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to prioritise those under 40 who were vaccinated for covid-19 as part of group 6 previously part of the booster roll out programme; when he expects 16-17 years old in group 6 to be (a) eligible and (b) prioritised for a booster, including chronic asthmatics; what assurances his Department plans to provide those groups; and if his Department will use the flu jab list as a basis for identifying those who need to be prioritised for covid-19 booster vaccinations.

On 29 November 2021 the Government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to accelerate the COVID-19 booster vaccination programme. All adults over 18 years old are now eligible for a booster dose, which will be given no sooner than three months after completion of the primary course.

The flu clinical risk groups were initially considered as a potential way to identify and prioritise individuals at risk of COVID-19. However, when evaluating the data, the JCVI found that, although there was some overlap between the influenza clinical risk groups and those at high risk of severe COVID-19, there were some differences.