A Covid booster programme will be rolled out on the Isle of Wight in the next few months.
A third jab will be given to those in the top four priority cohorts, who were vaccinated first during the initial Covid vaccine rollout.
Top four priorities
Falling into those categories are those:
- over 70 years old
- in care homes for older adults as well as their carers
- clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
- frontline health and social care workers
Starting in September, people will receive another dose of the vaccine they had before — either the PfizerBiontech or Oxford-AstraZeneca.
Flu vaccination programme
It is possible flu vaccinations will be given at the same time, as part of the annual winter programme, although NHS England and NHS Improvement has not yet confirmed this.
Speaking at the Isle of Wight Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board today (Thursday), Dr Michele Legg, the NHS Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Groups’ clinical director for the Island, said further guidance would be given over the summer but they were engaging with colleagues in primary care and pharmacies.
Over 100,000 Islanders had first dose
Latest figures show 104,986 people have had first doses of the Covid vaccine — 71.2 per cent of the Island’s population or 88.9 per cent of the 18-plus adult population.
More than 90,400 people have had both doses, 61.3 per cent of the population or 76.7 per cent of those aged over 18.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is part of. Read here to find about more about how that scheme works on the Island. Some alterations and additions may have been made by News OnTheWight. Ed
Image: © DK Photography Isle of Wight
