Welsh Autumn Covid booster campaign confirmed – and flu jabs could be given at the same time

An Autumn Covid booster campaign will be rolled out later this year, the Health Minister has said.

Eluned Morgan said that people in Wales could receive Covid boosters and flu jabs at the same time in preparation for winter.

So far, flu and Covid jabs have been given out separately, with the former in GP surgeries and pharmacies and the latter in mass vaccination centres.

But work was now in progress to integrate Wales’ Covid-19 vaccination rollout with existing immunisation programmes, the Welsh Government said.

The Health Minister added that their new vaccination plan, revealed today, includes “planning for any potential surge capacity, should we need to, in the case of a new pandemic wave or a new coronavirus variant”.

“Vaccines have had an enormous impact on the course of the pandemic and have helped to weaken the link between the virus, serious illness, hospitalisations and death,” Eluned Morgan said.

“They have saved countless lives and given us the freedom and confidence to restart our lives in the midst of an ongoing global health emergency.”

To date, more than 6.8m doses of COVID-19 vaccinations have been given out in Wales. More than 91 per cent of the over-12 population of Wales have been vaccinated with at least one dose; 86 per cent with at least two doses and 70 per cent with a third dose and/or a booster.

The strategy confirms that the elderly, vulnerable and those at greatest risk will continue to be the priority for vaccination as they have been disproportionately affected throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Welsh Government said that they continued to be guided by the latest clinical and scientific evidence and advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the Chief Medical Officer for Wales.