AQW 21323/17-22

Mr Stewart Dickson
Alliance Party
East Antrim

Tabled Date: 02/07/2021
Answered On Date: 20/08/2021
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health to detail the plans for further booster COVID-19 vaccinations later in 2021, including which specific groups will be eligible.

Answer:

The member will be aware that the Chief Medical Officer has confirmed that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has provided interim advice on revaccination.

In summary JCVI has advised that the COVID-19 booster programme should be offered in two stages:

Stage 1. The following persons should be offered a third dose COVID-19 booster vaccine and the annual influenza vaccine, as soon as possible from September 2021:

adults aged 16 years and over who are immunosuppressed;

those living in residential care homes for older adults;

all adults aged 70 years or over;

adults aged 16 years and over who are considered clinically extremely vulnerable;

frontline health and social care workers.

Stage 2. The following persons should be offered a third dose COVID-19 booster vaccine as soon as practicable after Stage 1, with equal emphasis on deployment of the influenza vaccine where eligible

all adults aged 50 years and over

all adults aged 16 – 49 years who are in an influenza or COVID-19 at-risk group.

Household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals