Second booster jabs to begin in Suffolk this month for most vulnerable ahead of wider rollout expected in the autumn

Second Covid-19 booster jabs will start to be offered this spring, with the expectation of a wider rollout of top-up jabs in the autumn.

It comes as more than 76,500 eligible people who have yet to have a vaccine are being urged to get protection.

A meeting of Suffolk’s Local Outbreak Engagement Board meeting of council, police and health chiefs on Friday afternoon heard that youngsters aged between five and 11 will be offered two doses of a paediatric version of Pfizer from April.

That will be at vaccination centres, pop-up clinics and select community pharmacies, as health bosses are keen that hospitals and GP surgeries get back to delivering core services which may have been delayed or put on hold at the peak of the vaccination programmes or during the pandemic.

In addition, those aged 12 or above who are immunosuppressed will be offered a booster, as well as those aged 75 or above before June 30 who can receive a second booster six months after their first.

Health bosses said that will take place this spring, and includes those who are housebound and care home residents.

While firm plans have not yet been confirmed for the rest of the population, it is expected that a booster programme will be delivered more widely in the autumn ahead of the winter virus season.

Stuart Keeble, Suffolk’s public health director, told Thursday’s Health and Wellbeing Board: “Covid is still going to be here. With the vaccinations they are putting in further vaccines in the spring for the more vulnerable groups and older age groups to help boost the protection there.

“There is still work going on from a vaccination perspective around the 5-11 year-olds, who are at risk, and in April that will be rolled out more broadly, and planning is going on with health colleagues around the vaccination programme going forward, both predicting maybe another jab in the autumn and being ready to stand up if a further push is needed as well.”

Latest data for Suffolk showed that 86.4% of the eligible population have had a booster, but there were still 76,500 eligible people who have not had a jab.

More than 2,000 jabs per week were still being delivered locally throughout Suffolk, according to figures, which included a mix of first, second and boosters vaccinations.

Elizabeth Moloney from the Ipswich and East Suffolk, West Suffolk and North East Essex clinical commissioning groups, said: “We do currently have about 76,500 people eligible for the vaccine who have not come forward, so we do continue to do everything we can to encourage people to take the vaccine by ensuring that it is accessible and by continuing to highlight the implications of Long Covid. Obviously there is the living with Covid strategy that has been released, there are still implications of not having been vaccinated.

“We do continue an evergreen offer, that means anyone that is due for a vaccine – and we have people becoming eligible every day that haven’t previously been – we do continue to provide a whole range of sources for them to be able to access.”

To find out more and book a vaccination slot, visit www.sneevaccine.org.uk.