Covid: Are booster shots available for my age group?

All people over 40 in the UK will get a third dose of the Covid vaccine, and 16 and 17 year olds will get a second shot.

It follows new recommendations from government advisers, the Joint Committee on Immunization and Immunization (JCVI).

The booster is an additional dose of the Covid vaccine that prolongs protection in the dual injection group, especially in the older age groups.

Boosters have been made available to anyone aged 50 and over, frontline healthcare workers and those with health conditions that put them at greater risk from Covid.

The revised rules are the same across the UK:

You can either wait to be contacted to make an appointment, or – depending on where you live – book online.

In the UK you can Pre-order your booster five months (152 days) after your second dose. You will be offered an appointment six months (182 days) after the second encounter. Alternatively, after six months, you can go directly to an NHS walking center.

Anyone is entitled to strengthen in Wales should wait for an appointment.

Across the UK, if you have tested positive for Covid, you must wait four weeks (28 days) before getting a booster shot, from the date of the test.

You should not have a booster shot if you are very ill or have a high fever, but patient information from both Pfizer and Moderna indicates that a mild fever or cold is no reason to delay.

Currently, only the first and second doses of the Covid vaccine are listed in NHS app (Not NHS Covid-19 app notify you if you are near someone with the virus).

If you are 16 years old or older, the app will generate NHS Covid Pass can be used to prove your immunization status in the UK or abroad.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said there were plans to add boosters to the app, as we “have to adjust our concept of what constitutes full vaccination”.

The JCVI says adolescents 16 and 17 years old should get a second dose of Pfizer jab – which should be given at least 12 weeks after the first dose.

There is currently no approved vaccine for children under 12 years of age in the UK.

All frontline NHS staff in the UK will have to be fully vaccinated against Covid by April 1.

These rules only apply in the UK.

Others in the UK are not required to be vaccinated, even though those who have had two doses no need to self-isolate after exposure to a positive case.

People under the age of 18 are currently being offered Pfizer, although the Moderna vaccine has also been approved for use in children.

Most boosters will be a dose of Pfizer or a half dose of Moderna, no matter what hit you get initially.

They are part of the body’s normal immune response to vaccines and tend to go away within a day or two.

Particularly, a very small number of people have experienced severe allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.

You should discuss any existing severe allergies with your healthcare professional prior to getting vaccinated.