Spring timebooster time?

IF you are 75 or older, a care home resident or have a weakened immune system, the NHS will offer you a coronavirus vaccine booster this spring.

Why? It protects against COVID-19 infections that are more severe in older people and those with certain underlying health conditions.

The Spring Booster Campaign runs until June.

Those with the highest risk are being called in first.

The booster should be received around six months from your last dose, but you can have it from three months, based on your risk.

If you are turning 75 before June, you will be called for vaccination during the campaign and do not have to wait for your birthday.

The vaccines for this campaign have been updated since the original ones and target different variants. They boost protection well and give slightly higher antibody levels against the more recent strains of covid, such as Omicron, than the vaccines you would have received previously.

The vaccines contain an adjuvant, a chemical used to improve immune response to the virus.

This is like the one used in the flu vaccine, which is routinely given to over65s.

Please accept the vaccination offered to you as soon as possible – you will be provided with the right vaccine at the right time. There is no need to delay vaccination trying to receive a particular vaccine type.

Be assured that, as with your previous doses, the common side effects are the same for all COVID-19 vaccines, including the updated vaccines being used this spring.

Pharmacists and other trained healthcare professionals will provide the dose and be on hand to offer you support and answer any questions.

When invited for your booster, you can call NHS 119, book using the NHS App or contact Abbotswood Pharmacy for support to book or details of any walk-in opportunities.

As part of the NHS, protecting you is not just our responsibility - your trust in us is a great privilege.