Who can get a Covid booster this spring and how can you book?

A spring Covid booster is being offered to those most at risk from the virus across the UK.

Some pharmacies have also started selling the jab privately.

Fewer people are entitled to a spring booster than were offered a jab during the autumn campaign.

The NHS is sending texts, emails, NHS App messages or letters to those who are eligible but you do not have to wait for the invite.

Those at highest risk are being invited first.

You will generally be invited to have your booster around six months after your last dose but you can have it after three months.

Spring vaccinations will be available until 30 June.

Vaccines from four different companies are in use across the UK: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sanofi/GSK and Novavax.

Those getting the spring booster will be given an mRNA vaccine made by either Pfizer or Moderna. Both have been updated to help protect against more recent strains of Covid.

People are advised to take whichever they are offered, as all provide protection against severe illness or death.

Similarly, if you qualify but missed an earlier booster dose, you can have another jab this spring to catch up.

If you have a severely weakened immune system, your doctor may advise you to have an extra dose three months after the spring booster.

A number of high street chemists and private clinics have started selling and administering the Pfizer Covid vaccine directly to the public.

They range in price from around £45 to £99.

You need to be aged 12 or above, and have not had a Covid vaccine in the previous three months. You also need to talk to a health professional to check that it is suitable.

A protein-based booster vaccine made by Novavax, which works differently to the Pfizer and Moderna jabs, should also be available to buy soon.

It also recommends waiting if you have a high temperature or feel otherwise unwell with any illness.

But there is no need to wait if you have recently recovered from Covid and feel well.

The vaccines do not infect people with Covid and cannot cause positive test results.

They are part of the body’s normal immune response to vaccination and tend to resolve within a day or two.

It has also been listed as a rare possible side effect of the Novavax vaccine, after a very small number of cases were reported during clinical trials.

Patients with serious allergies should talk to their healthcare professional before being vaccinated.