If you have a weakened immune system, either due to a health condition or medical treatment, you may not yet have the best possible protection from the vaccine.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommend that people aged 12 years and over with a weakened immune system should be offered a ‘booster’ if it’s been at least three months since the previous dose.
The NHS is encouraging eligible people who are still due a booster to take up this offer, and we will make sure you can access all doses of the vaccine as soon as practically possible, for better protection during summer. You may have already been contacted by your local GP services or hospital clinician to arrange an appointment.
If your most recent dose was before 21 March 2022, we encourage you to get a further dose now. You can self-refer, and you don’t need to wait to be contacted.
If your most recent dose was after 21 March 2022, you may still need a further dose if you have or have had a severely weakened immune system. If you are in this situation, we encourage you to book a further dose from 3 months (91 days) after your previous dose, unless you have already had your spring booster.
Otherwise, you don’t need to do anything now and we’ll prompt you when it’s time for your next dose. You can check which vaccines you are eligible for at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination.
There are three ways you can access your vaccination:
- Make an appointment online through the national booking service – nhs.uk/book-covid-booster
- Call 119 to book an appointment – calls are free and translators are available on request
- Find a vaccination walk-in site – use the NHS online finder at nhs.uk/vaccine-walk-in to make sure you choose the right site for you
When you arrive for your appointment, you can ask to speak to a clinical supervisor who can advise you on your eligibility and support you with any other queries you may have. If you can, please bring one of the following:
- A letter from your GP or specialist advising you get the jab
- A hospital letter about your condition or medication
- A prescription or medication box with your name and a date on it
If you don’t have any of this evidence to hand, don’t worry. It may still be possible to get vaccinated.
Arrangements over the summer
Whether one of your vaccines is overdue or you haven’t had your first yet, please be assured that it isn’t too late.
You can book an appointment for any dose you are eligible for at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by phoning 119, or you can visit a walk-in vaccination site without an appointment – see www.nhs.uk/vaccine-walk-in.
Please let the NHS know if you have any difficulty accessing your vaccination so that the issue can be resolved, and services can be improved. There are several ways you can contact NHS England. Information about how to get in touch is available at www.england.nhs.uk/contact-us/complaint/complaining-to-nhse.
Further doses for people who have had a severely weakened immune system
If you had a severely weakened immune system when you had your first two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, either due to a health condition, taking medicines or receiving treatment, you are eligible for an additional third dose to complete your primary course, before you begin to receive ‘booster’ doses.
The third dose should be given around 8 weeks after the second.
The severely immunosuppressed group includes some people who had or have:
- A blood cancer (such as leukaemia or lymphoma)
- A weakened immune system due to a treatment (such as steroid medicine, biological therapy, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
- An organ or bone marrow transplant
- A condition that means you have a very high risk of getting infections
- A condition or treatment your specialist advises makes you eligible for a third dose
Depending on your individual circumstances, for example, if you have had a stem cell transplant, you may be advised to restart your primary course. A clinician can advise to ensure you get the maximum protection.
Please note, not everyone with a weakened immune system is considered severely immunosuppressed. If you think you are eligible for a third dose to complete your primary course but haven’t had it yet, refer to the information above to book your vaccine now.
Remember to bring relevant medical documentation to your appointment if you can. If you can’t, don’t worry. It may still be possible to get vaccinated.
FAQs
Why should I get my COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 has not gone away, and infection rates are rising across England. The vaccine offers the best defence against becoming seriously unwell, staying out of hospital and passing on the virus to loved ones and others around you. It is safe, effective and free to all, with appointments available every day in every region in England.
If I have a weakened immune system but do not respond well to vaccines, why is it important to continue to get vaccinated?
Repeated vaccinations will gradually improve and maintain your level of antibodies and enhance the other parts of your immune system that respond to COVID-19 infection.
Is it safe to get so many doses of the COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccination is safe and has been approved for use by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, which regulates safety, as well as recommended by the JCVI. The vaccines used by the NHS have been rigorously tested and multiple doses have been given across the UK and the world, with continued monitoring of safety.
Why were some people invited for more doses?
COVID-19 is more serious for people who have had a weakened immune system, for example because of an underlying medical condition, or because of medicine they have taken or treatment they have received. Protection from the vaccine for these people may be lower and may decline more quickly. For this reason, they were offered an additional vaccination dose, alongside people aged 75 and over (by 30 June), and residents of older adult care homes.
My family members who I am in close contact with don’t have a weakened immune system but would like to get a further dose. Are they eligible?
The JCVI has not recommended more than one booster dose for people because they are a household contact of someone with a weakened immune system.
Why is the interval between doses three to six months? Why is it preferable for eligible people to come forward now?
COVID-19 is still with us and can make people very ill. The NHS is working to get everyone who needs a booster vaccinated as soon as practically possible (all eligible people should have received an invite by the end of June), providing there has been at least three months from the previous dose.
The NHS continues to work to ensure eligible people with a weakened immune system can access all of the doses of the vaccine they need as soon as possible to provide the best protection against a potential wave of COVID-19 during the summer. There is flexibility within the three to six-month window to ensure that those eligible can get their vaccination to allow maximum protection ahead of winter when viruses circulate most.
If there are individual circumstances which mean someone with a weakened immune system could not get their booster by 30 June, the opportunity will remain throughout July and August.
What arrangements are in place for people who need their booster this summer?
If you have had a weakened immune system, you can book an appointment for any dose you need at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by phoning 119, or you can visit a walk-in vaccination site without an appointment – see www.nhs.uk/vaccine-walk-in.
While vaccination will still be possible during July and August, fewer appointments may be available locally and you may have to travel further to your nearest site.
Will individuals be expected to get further doses in the future?
The NHS is preparing to deliver an autumn dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to people with a weakened immune system following interim advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. JCVI will make its final recommendations later this year to be considered by Government. Following the Government’s decision, the NHS will let eligible people know when they can get their next dose.
What adjustments are being made to support people who have a severely weakened immune system attending walk-in vaccination appointments?
Vaccination sites have been asked to ensure that appropriate arrangements and reasonable adjustments are in place, such as priority lanes, to support people who are less able to queue, including those in higher-risk groups. A poster is available highlighting that staff should ensure people who have a weakened immune system, alongside other priority groups, have their wait time reduced.
I have recently recovered from COVID-19, do I still need to get vaccinated?
Yes. You still need to get a booster dose of the vaccine for extra protection, even if you have had COVID-19. If you’ve recently recovered from the virus, you need to wait before getting any dose of the vaccine. You will need to wait:
- 4 weeks (28 days) if you’re aged 18 years old or over
- 12 weeks (84 days) if you or your child are aged 5 to 17 years old
- 4 weeks (28 days) if you or your child are aged 5 to 17 years old and at high risk from COVID-19, or live with someone who has a weakened immune system