Covid: Booster jabs for over-50s expected to be announced - BBC News

A UK-wide programme of booster jabs to help prevent Covid will be confirmed later, the BBC understands.

Ministers are expected to announce jabs for the over-50s as part of their Covid winter plan, after advice from the independent vaccine panel, the JCVI.

BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said the booster would be a single dose of the Pfizer vaccine at least six months after a second dose.

The BBC understands the booster programme will be similar to the interim proposals published by the vaccine experts in June - which suggested jabs should go to the over-70s and those most at risk first, before expanding to all adults aged over 50.

On Monday, the government confirmed all children aged 12 to 15 in England would be offered one dose of the Pfizer jab, with invitations going out from next week.

The news on booster jabs comes as the government prepares to set out its plan for managing Covid through the autumn and winter on Tuesday.

In a statement before the announcement, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said while the pandemic "is far from over", the "phenomenal vaccine programme, new treatments and testing" mean the UK is "able to live with the virus without significant restrictions on our freedoms".

Mr Johnson's Covid winter plan for England is expected to focus on contingency measures that would be brought in if the NHS was at risk of becoming overwhelmed due to the virus.

Also speaking on Monday, the PM confirmed the booster programme would be "going ahead" and had "already been approved", but without further detail.

The JCVI said earlier this month a third vaccine dose should be offered to people over the age of 12 with severely weakened immune systems - which accounts for up to half a million people in the UK.

But there are concerns that, coupled with a bigger flu season than normally expected, extra protection could be needed for more people over the winter months.

Over 48 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a vaccine, with more than 44 million having their second dose.