The recall campaign is scheduled to begin on September 5, with Moderna’s new dual-variant Covid vaccine among those to be given out. But with England abandoning other Covid measures, such as mass testing, and using terms such as “post-pandemic recovery”, experts have raised concerns that many of those who qualify may not turn up for the vaccination their. “I think it is very likely that we will see lower uptake for the autumn Covid-19 vaccine boosters than the first two vaccinations,” said Azeem Majeed, a doctor in west London and professor of primary care and public health at Imperial College London. “We saw lower uptake of the first booster last winter and the second booster offered to seniors and some other groups in the spring,” he added. “Talking to my patients, many of them say they feel they’ve had enough shots for Covid-19.” Adam Finn, professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol and a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization (JCVI), agreed that achieving high uptake could be an issue. “It is worrying – especially since all other measures, including testing, have been abandoned, so there is a widespread perception that the problem [of Covid] it’s over and done with,” he said. “However, the fact that the program now focuses entirely on people at increased risk of serious illness may help – the core group will be the elderly and so far most of them have turned up when called.” Majeed said it was important to have clear public messages about the benefits and importance of the booster program from government agencies, including NHS England, but said there was not much time for such a campaign as vaccinations are scheduled to start in a few weeks. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Professor Stephen Reicher, a member of the Sage subcommittee that advises on behavioral science and professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews, agreed. “People are less likely to heed messages for boosters if, at the same time, the government tells them ‘it’s all over’, ‘we’re post-pandemic’ and ‘it’s not too bad.’ Why get vaccinated if there is nothing to worry about getting vaccinated for?’ he said. Reicher added that it is important to be clear about the threat from Covid, noting that for those who have not been vaccinated – or for whom vaccines do not work well – Omicron can pose a serious risk. “But even for those who have been vaccinated, it’s important to get a booster, because immunity wanes over time,” he said. “A souvenir will give you good protection against serious illness and death. It will also give you protection against long term Covid.” But, he added: “It won’t protect you as well from infection and all the disruption that comes with it – so alongside promoting the booster, the government needs to look at further measures – such as testing and good ventilation – to prevent infection levels down.” Finn also stressed the need for clear communication about the booster program, including what needs to be done. “We need to make an effort to inform people and, above all, avoid a scenario in which people ‘wait’ for a modified vaccine instead of getting what is happening – if supplies of the bivalent do not meet demand,” he said. . . But there is room for optimism, Finn added. “If the logistics of giving people both the Covid and flu shots at the same visit work, it will make a big difference [to booster uptake],” he said. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said: “It is inaccurate to say that a significant number of people did not follow their spring reminder,” noting that eight in 10 of those aged 75 and over had the puncture. “We are not complacent about Covid and our world-leading vaccination program has saved countless lives. This is why we continue to work hard to reach those people who are still unvaccinated against Covid, including using vaccination clinics and mobile vaccinations to increase access and convenience.”
