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Covid-19 vaccines only to be offered to elderly and immunosuppressed from now on

25 Jan 2023 2 minute read
Covid vaccines will now only be offered to the elderly and immunosuppressed

The Welsh Government has announced that Covid-19 vaccinations will only be offered to those at higher risk of severe illness.

Third doses of the Covid-19 booster were offered last autumn to people in Wales aged 16 – 49 years of age but the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that vaccines should move towards a more targeted offer to protect those at higher risk.

This means that from 2023 Covid-19 vaccinations will only be offered to specific people at certain times unless prescribed by a clinician.

Although a high level of immunity has developed in the population over the past two and a half years, the risk of severe illness from Covid-19 is still greater for those in older age groups, residents in care homes and people with certain underlying health conditions.

There is still an uncertainty regarding virus evolution, the durability and breadth of immunity and the epidemiology of infection.

The JCVI has indicated that for the elderly and immunosuppressed, an extra booster vaccine dose may be offered in spring 2023, whilst for autumn 2023 people at higher risk would be offered a booster vaccine dose.

If a variant of concern were to emerge and display differences compared to the Omicron variant, emergency surge vaccine responses could be required.

Eluned Morgan MS, Minister for Health and Social Services said she has accepted the advice in line with other UK nations and “subject to supply, NHS Wales stands ready to start operationalising this programme in 2023,”

She added: “As ever, I am extremely grateful to the NHS and everyone involved in the vaccination programme for their continued hard work.”


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Steve George
Steve George
1 year ago

What does ‘elderly’ mean?

Sorgina
Sorgina
1 year ago
Reply to  Steve George

“The elderly”: a truly derogatory term that lumps together those above a certain age who are fit, healthy, happy and in full possession of their faculties into the same group as helpless, incapacitated residents of care homes. Nearing 70, living totally independently and still continuing with my very intellectually demanding freelance work, I refuse to be tarred by this insult, hence I ignore all patronising advice dished out to “the elderly” by the paternalistic NHS and other do-gooders and busybodies.

hdavies15
hdavies15
1 year ago
Reply to  Sorgina

That’s O.K. You go ahead and do your own thing which is what all sane healthy people should do. If you think a government statement using the term “elderly” is an insult then you are either too sensitive and easily offended or fall into the healthy older person category and have the capacity to just ignore it. I’m past 70 and try not to get upset by blanket government statements. We have long existed in a nanny state, and there are lots of people grateful for those interventions as they aren’t able to figure stuff out for themselves. I’ve reached… Read more »

Dai Rob
Dai Rob
1 year ago
Reply to  Sorgina

What a clown!!!

Sorgina
Sorgina
1 year ago

I possibly have XBB right now as I have a bit of a sore throat and am achy, stuffed-up and stroppy. I sincerely hope so as this will serve as a natural and ultra-relevant booster to my immune system, just as the probable COVID infection I had in July did, which caused far fewer problems than the initial vaccination (useless AZ variety) and two boosters I previously underwent.

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