Autumn booster vaccine campaign to begin on the Isle of Man

The Autumn Covid-19 booster campaign recently announced by the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisations (JCVI) will commence on the Isle of Man on Monday 05 September 2022. 

Those eligible for the Autumn booster are:

• residents in a care home for older adults, and staff working in care homes for older adults
• frontline health and social care workers
• all adults aged 50 years and over
• those aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group
• those aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
• those aged 16 to 49 years who are carers.

You can check your eligibility.

The primary objective for the Autumn 2022 booster campaign is to enhance immunity in those at higher risk from Covid-19. By taking the booster vaccine this autumn, it will reduce the likelihood of becoming very unwell should you catch the virus.

The planned delivery schedule is as follows:

To allow the team to make their final preparations for the Autumn programme to begin, the Vaccination team will no longer be offering walk-in vaccination clinics after today (Thursday 25 August). Instead, those who would still like to take up the offer of a first, second or booster dose will be asked to book an appointment either by calling 111 or emailing vaccinations@gov.im.

Dr. Sree Andole, Manx Care’s Executive Medical Director, commented:

“A significant amount of preparation has gone into the planned delivery of the Covid-19 Autumn booster campaign, in order that we can offer all of those people who are eligible the opportunity to receive their jab and increase their protection against the virus. It’s really important that people who are eligible for the vaccination come forward and receive this when they are called, as this is the best form of protection not only for themselves, but for their immediate family members and friends too.” 

Autumn 2022 Covid-19 Booster programme – FAQs

What vaccine will I be offered?

You will be given a booster dose of a vaccine made by Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna. You may be offered an updated combination version of these booster vaccines – the combination vaccines include a half-dose of the previous vaccine combined with a half-dose of a vaccine against the Omicron variant. Both the previous and the combination vaccines boost protection very well, although the combination vaccines produce slightly higher levels of antibody against some strains of Omicron. As we cannot predict which variants of Covid-19 will be circulating this winter, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has concluded that both types of vaccine can be used in adults, and that no-one should delay vaccination to receive combination vaccines – you will be offered the right vaccine for you at the right time. Please accept the vaccination that is offered to you as soon as you are able to – it is important to have your booster and build up your protection against severe illness before the winter.

Timings of the Autumn booster

You should be offered an appointment between September and December, with those at highest risk being called in first. You should have your booster at least three months after your last dose of vaccine. If you are eligible for a flu vaccine, you may be able to have this at the same time – if not, please don’t delay your Covid-19 booster vaccine; you can catch up with the other vaccine later.

Who cannot take up the offer of an Autumn booster?

There are very few people within the above eligibility groups who should not have this booster. If you have had a severe reaction to a previous dose of the vaccine, you should discuss this with your doctor.

How do I get an appointment?

Appointment letters will be sent out to all over 75s to ensure we prioritise the groups identified by the JCVI. Once you have an appointment letter, you can go online to change or cancel your appointment should you wish to. You can also go online to opt out of this vaccination programme.  All age groups will be able to access the online booking system once their age group has been reached.

Frontline health and social care workers can now book and manage their Covid-19 vaccination appointments online. You will be need to input your name, date of birth and your NHS number. If you do not know your NHS number, you should be able to find it on any medical letter you may have received from Manx Care, or your GP surgery will be able to provide this. Alternatively, you can email vaccinations@gov.im or call 111, selecting Option 2 to speak to a member of the Covid response team.

We will be delivering the majority of the Autumn campaign from our Chester Street Vaccination Hub in Douglas. As this is an established Vaccination Hub, this location can safely accommodate a larger number of people. If you are unable to travel to Chester Street, we will be delivering a small number of vaccinations in our hubs in Ramsey, Peel and Castletown from around 17 October 2022 onwards. However, we would encourage you to accept the appointment that is initially offered to you in order to increase your protection at the earliest possible opportunity.

Availability of walk-in clinics

Walk-in clinics for first and second doses will cease after Thursday 25 August 2022. If you would still like to take up the offer of a primary course of Covid-19 vaccines or receive your initial booster, please book an appointment by emailing vaccinations@gov.im or calling 111, selecting Option 2.

Consent

In order to be vaccinated you must be able to demonstrate informed consent at your appointment.  If you believe your loved one does not have the capacity to consent in their own right, they will need a Best Interest Consent form to be completed by their General Practitioner and brought to the appointment.