NHS begins delivering spring COVID-19 booster programme
The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme has begun offering a Spring booster jab to the most vulnerable. About five million people will be able to get a Spring booster during the campaign.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised a spring jab should be offered to those most vulnerable to COVID-19 as a precautionary measure around 6 months after the initial booster (UK Health Security Agency, 2022). Those eligible include:
- Adults aged 75 years and over
- Residents in a care home for older adults
- Individuals aged 12 years and over who are immunosuppressed, or have weakened immune systems.
The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme will contact people when it is their turn to be vaccinated.
Adults eligible for the jab will be offered the Moderna or Pfizer/BionNTech vaccine and young people aged 12 to 18 will be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech.
Waning immunity
The rationale for the booster campaign is that immunity from vaccination wanes over time, and many of the most vulnerable had their most recent vaccine dose in September or October 2021. The boosters are a precautionary measure to maintain high levels of immunity.
Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy SRO for the NHS COVID Vaccination Programme, said: ‘Sadly, we are still seeing large numbers of people seriously unwell in hospital with COVID so it remains vital that those most at risk come forward when they are invited to do so.’
Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: ‘Spring boosters will help top up the immunity of the elderly and the most vulnerable to ensure they are protected and will help us continue to live with this virus. Thanks to the NHS for rising to the challenge yet again to get people boosted.’
Further boosters may be required
To date, the biggest and most successful vaccination drive in health history has delivered over 117 million vaccinations, including over 32 million boosters.
It is expected that a further booster will be rolled out in the Autumn. Professor Wei Shen Lim, Chair of COVID-19 vaccination on the JCVI, said: ‘Last year's booster vaccination programme has so far provided excellent protection against severe COVID-19. To maintain high levels of protection for the most vulnerable individuals in the population, an extra spring dose of vaccine is advised ahead of an expected autumn booster programme later this year. The JCVI will continue its rolling review of the vaccination programme and the epidemiological situation, particularly in relation to the timing and value of doses for less vulnerable older adults and those in clinical risk groups ahead of autumn 2022.’
Gut infection outbreaks halved during first 6 months of COVID-19 pandemic
Research published in the open access journal BMJ Open (Love et al, 2022) found that the number of reported gastrointestinal infection outbreaks halved during the first 6 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK, compared with the previous 5-year average, and lab confirmed cases fell by a third.
In England alone, it is estimated that there are more than 17 million cases of gastrointestinal infections every year, resulting in over 1 million healthcare consultations and around 90 000 laboratory-confirmed diagnoses.
The impact of infection control measures
The researchers wanted to find out what impact the infection control measures imposed during the pandemic had on gastrointestinal infections. They drew on routinely collected health data from 7 English surveillance systems coordinated by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and Google Trend data, for the period 01 January to 2 August 2020. The surveillance systems gather information on outbreaks, laboratory notifications, calls to the NHS 111 health advice service, GP appointments and attendance at emergency care. The infectious microbes of interest included Campylobacter spp, Cryptosporidium spp, Shiga-toxin producing E coli (STEC), Giardia sp, Listeria spp, norovirus, non-typhoidal Salmonella spp and Shigella spp.
Reductions in GP consultations and access to other services
During the first 6 months of 2020, 1544 suspected and lab-confirmed gastrointestinal infection outbreaks were reported in England, representing a 52% fall on the 5-year average for the period.
Reductions in lab-confirmed cases were observed for all pathogens across all age groups and in both sexes, ranging from 26% in children aged 1–9 to 42% among women aged 80+.
Emergency care attendances, GP consultations, and calls to the NHS 111 helpline for gastroenteritis and diarrhoea/ vomiting were all lower than in 2019.
Improved hand hygiene a key factor
It is thought that increased hygiene measures caused this effect including improved hand hygiene, reduced social contact, social distancing, increased environmental cleaning and closure of premises.
The authors conclude: ‘There has been a marked change in trends of [gastrointestinal] infections in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The drivers of this change are likely to be multifactorial: while changes in health seeking behaviour, pressure on diagnostic services, and surveillance system ascertainment have undoubtedly played a role, there has likely been a true decrease in the incidence for some pathogens resulting from the control measures and restrictions implemented.’
They went on to say: ‘This suggests that if some of these changes in behaviour, such as improved hand hygiene were maintained, then we could potentially see sustained reductions in the burden of [gastrointestinal] illness.’
Professor Martin Marshall, Chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: ‘This study makes clear that as we've seen with other contagious diseases, such as colds and flu, prevalence of gastro-intestinal infection was lower during the pandemic. This is likely to be in a large part due to restrictions that were implemented to stop the spread of COVID and greater adherence to public health measures. As we move to the next stages of the pandemic, severe restrictions have been and continue to be lifted to allow a more normal way of life, but practising good hygiene measures is something that can and should continue, and really can help people keep well. We'd always encourage people to maintain good hygiene practices, such as regular and thorough handwashing – or if that's not possible, using hand sanitiser - particularly after using the toilet, coughing or sneezing into your elbow instead of your hand and disposing of tissues after you use them.’