Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2021 to Question 89686 on Coronavirus: Vaccination, when 16-17 year olds with chronic asthma in group 6 will be (a) eligible and (b) prioritised for a covid-19 booster vaccination; and whether he will use the flu jab list as a basis for efficiently identifying those who need to be prioritised for any future covid-19 booster vaccinations.

The Government accepted advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that those aged 16 to 49 years old with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19 should be offered a booster vaccine. This included individuals with 'poorly controlled asthma', defined as:

- Receiving two or more courses of oral corticosteroids in the preceding 24 months;

- Being on maintenance oral corticosteroids; and

- Having one or more hospital admission(s) for asthma in the preceding 24 months.

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. At this stage no decision has been made about who will be prioritised for any for any future booster vaccinations, and whether the flu clinical risk groups will be used as part of the considerations.