Health and wellbeing
Eligible Walsall residents invited to top up their immunity with the spring booster
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Eligible people can book their spring booster through the National Booking Service, NHS App or by calling 119. Pop-up vaccination clinics across Walsall are also open for walk-ins.
People who are aged 75 years and older, residents in care homes for older people, and those aged 5 years and over with a weakened immune system will be offered a booster of the COVID-19 vaccine this spring.
It comes after advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) informed that an extra booster vaccine dose in spring 2023 should be offered to those at higher risk of getting COVID-19.
Those at highest risk will be prioritised. People who are eligible for a vaccine should make sure appointments take place at least three months after their last dose.
Those eligible can book through the National Booking Service or NHS App, with the first appointments available week commencing Monday 17 April. Appointments can also be booked by calling 119.
A host of walk-in and pop-up vaccination clinics will also be running across Walsall, where eligible residents can walk-in without an appointment. Further details can be found on the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board or by searching for the nearest vaccination clinic on the NHS website.
Residents who have not had a first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine yet are still eligible and should get them as soon as possible.
“ As the spring booster roll-out gets underway, I would urge all those eligible to come forward for their vaccine as soon as possible. You can book your appointment through the National Booking Service, the NHS App or by calling 119.
Walk-in and pop-up vaccination clinics are also open across Walsall, where you can get your vaccine, if eligible, without an appointment. It is quick, easy, and safe and takes just a few minutes.
Vaccination remains our best defence. The spring booster will boost your protection against COVID-19 and reduce your risk of becoming seriously unwell.
If you still have not had your first or second dose, please come forward for these as well if you have not done so already.
COVID-19 has not gone away, and it is important that we are not complacent. Please come forward for your vaccines to ensure you have the best protection from the virus. “
“ Although life has gone back to normal for most people, COVID-19 is still with us and continues to be more serious in older people and in people with certain underlying health conditions.
Booster doses are safe, effective, and help to top up your protection against serious illness from the virus.
So, I would urge anyone who is eligible for a spring booster to book their appointment as soon as they can. “
Spring booster appointments will be available until 30 June. COVID-19 vaccinations, including first and second doses, for everyone who was aged five on or before 31 August 2022 will also end after on this date, following recent advice from the JCVI. After 30 June, only people at higher risk will be invited for future vaccinations.
Sally Roberts added: “The COVID-19 vaccine has saved countless lives, helped thousands of people to stay out of hospital, and made it safer for us to live with the virus without fear or restrictions.
“We encourage anyone eligible who has had just one COVID-19 vaccination, or not had one at all, to come forward for their vaccine as soon as possible before the offer ends in June.”
ENDS
Notes to editor:
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A guide to the COVID-19 spring booster is available on the GOV.UK website.
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For more information on the spring booster and how to book an appointment, visit the NHS website.
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The NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board published a press release on 14 April 2023 outlining the spring booster offer.
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A list of pop-up vaccination clinics across Walsall and the Black Country is available on the NHS Black Country Integrated Care Board website.
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The last date people will be able to book a spring booster will be 29 June, with the last spring vaccinations on offer the following day (30 June).
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The current offer of first and second COVID-19 vaccinations for everyone aged 5 on or before 31 August last year will end at the same time as spring vaccinations on 30 June 2023. After 30 June, not everyone will be able to get the COVID-19 vaccine from the NHS.
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The offer will become more targeted to those at higher risk from severe COVID-19, following advice from experts. The vaccine will usually only be offered seasonally (for example, during the autumn-winter period).
