21/03/2023
The Covid-19 Spring booster campaign recently advised by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) will commence on Island on Monday 17 April 2023 and close on 30 June 2023. The care home and housebound vaccination programme will begin on Monday 3 April 2023, ahead of the main programme beginning later in the month.
As a precautionary strategy to maintain high levels of immunity and protection for the most vulnerable individuals, an extra spring dose is advised around six months after the last vaccine dose.
Those eligible for the booster are:
- Individuals aged 75 and over
- Residents in care homes for older adults
- People aged five years and over who are immunosuppressed
Manx Care Chief Executive, Teresa Cope said:
‘The Spring booster allows those who are at risk of severe COVID-19 to maintain their protection and will enable those who are most vulnerable to remain protected through the summer months. Vaccination remains our best protection against severe COVID-19 and hospitalisation. I would encourage anyone who is invited for their vaccination to take up the offer. It is now appropriate to adopt a stance of focussed protection in respect of COVID-19.’
Letters will be dispatched to those eligible for the spring vaccination, including appointment time, date and location. Appointments will be offered at various sites across the Island and we aim to offer you an appointment close to your home. Please remember to bring your consent form with you when attending your appointment. Access the consent form.
People are asked to please wait for their letter to arrive and to not call 111. Those who receive a letter are encouraged to take up the first appointment offered, but can email vaccinations@gov.im, including your name and date of birth, or NHS number or call 111 to rearrange if necessary. Find your NHS number.
The Vaccination service are still offering first and second primary doses and people are encouraged to contact 111 as above to make an appointment. This offer will end at the same time as the spring booster programme on 30 June 2023.
Q&A: What you need to know about the 2023 COVID-19 booster vaccines
Who will get the vaccine this spring?
This will include anyone over 75, along with care home residents and anyone aged five and over who is immunosuppressed.
When will vaccinations start?
The spring booster programme will get underway from 03 April 2023 for older adults in care homes, and from 17 April 2023 for residents over aged 75 and anyone aged over five who is immunosuppressed.
What vaccine will be offered?
You will be given a booster dose of a vaccine made by Pfizer, Moderna or Sanofi and approved in the UK. These vaccines have been updated since the original vaccines and target different COVID-19 variants. For a very small number of people another vaccine product may be advised by your doctor.