These are the Lancashire residents eligible for a Covid booster jab - and how they can get one

The Covid booster programme across Lancashire is gathering pace, with invites going out via text and post to those who are being recommended to receive a third jab to top up their immunity to the virus.
Frontline NHS staff area already being given their Covid booster jabsFrontline NHS staff area already being given their Covid booster jabs
Frontline NHS staff area already being given their Covid booster jabs

Anybody in the following groups whose second shot was at least six months ago is eligible for a booster shot, or will become eligible once six months have elapsed:

***those living in residential care homes for older adults

***all adults aged 50 years or over

***frontline health and social care workers

***all those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 (including diabetes, poorly-controlled asthma, chronic heart, vascular, kidney, liver and neurological disease and all conditions listed in the government's "green book").

***adult carers

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

***adult living with immunosuppressed individuals who are at greater risk of infections, such as someone who has HIV, has had a transplant or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

Read More
Preston and Chorley hospitals doctor appeals for people to get their Covid boos...

People in the cohorts listed above will be contacted by the NHS, at which point they will be able to book an appointment using the national online service or by calling 119. Invites are now being sent out and will continue to be over the coming weeks.

Jabs are being administered at Lancashire' s mass vaccination centres and a range of pharmacies and GP surgeries - options are listed during the online booking process.

Frontline health or social care workers can book a booster dose appointment online and do not need to wait to be contacted, according to the NHS website.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

People who work for an NHS trust or a care home will usually get their booster dose through their employer.

Boosters are usually given in the form of either one dose of the Pfizer vaccine or a half-dose of the Moderna jab, meaning that some people will have a different booster to their first and second shots.

However, people could also be offered a booster dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine if they cannot have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.

Sources: Lancashire and South Cumbria integrated care system and NHS.uk

DON'T FORGET ABOUT FLU

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The NHS warns that research has shown people who contract flu and Covid at the same time are more likely to become seriously ill.

Health bosses also stress that it is safe to have both the flu and Covid booster jabs at the same time - and that anybody who has had Covid can still have a flu vaccine.

Paid-for flu jabs are available at selected pharmacies for anyone over the age of 16, but they are offered free - via GP surgeries and some pharmacies - to those groups considered most at risk if they catch it. These include people:

***aged 50 and over (including those who will turn 50 by 31st March, 2022)

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

**with a range of health conditions, including diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease or those who have a weakened immune system

***who are pregnant

***who are in long-stay residential care

***who are the main carer for an older or disabled person

***who live with someone who is more likely to contract infections (such as someone with HIV, who has had a transplant or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis)

***work in a frontline health or social care role

Source: NHS.uk website

Related topics: