AQW 4949/22-27

Ms Connie Egan
Alliance Party
North Down

Tabled Date: 19/10/2022
Answered On Date: 24/10/2022
Priority Written: No

Question:
To ask the Minister of Health (i) for an update on the rollout of the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme this winter; and (ii) which groups can avail of a Covid-19 booster vaccination.

Answer:

The autumn COVID-19 booster vaccination programme was launched in September and remains on course for completion in December, in line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI). The number of doses given to date can viewed on the vaccination dashboard - NI Covid-19 Vaccinations Dashboard - COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Northern Ireland.

Just over one million people in NI are eligible and the programme is being implemented using a combination of GPs, community pharmacies and Trust vaccination clinics with GPs expected to administer the majority of vaccinations by inviting their eligible patients to attend a vaccination clinic.

JCVI recommended that for the 2022 autumn booster programme the following groups should be offered vaccination:

Residents in care homes and staff working in care homes.

Frontline Health and Social Care Workers

All adults aged 50 years and over (this includes those turning 50 years of age by 31 March 2023)

Persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group - including pregnant women

Persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression or carers.