Significant changes to the eligibility criteria for Covid Vaccinations this Autumn 2025/26

For the first time since December 2020, when Covid vaccines were first introduced, people under 75 and those with most clinical risk factors, such as diabetes or heart disease, will no longer be eligible for an NHS Covid booster vaccination. In addition, frontline health and social care workers are no longer eligible for a booster dose. This is in accordance with the latest JCVI guidance, which can be found in Chapter 14a of the Green Book.

This change will affect many of our patients who until now have been eligible to have an annual NHS Covid booster vaccination each Autumn.

New Eligibility Criteria for Covid Seasonal Vaccine:

• Residents in a care home for older adults (all residents regardless of age)
• All adults aged 75 years and over (including those due to turn 75 years of age on or before 31 January 2026)
• Persons aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the specific ‘Immunosuppression’ subsection of tables 3 and 4 only of the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book.

Flu vaccination eligible cohorts from 1 September 2025:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6) – GIVEN AT SCHOOL
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11) – GIVEN AT SCHOOL
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

Flu vaccination eligible cohorts from 1 October 2025:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline health and social care workers