The prevailing idea that “Covid is over” may jeopardise England’s autumn booster programme, scientists have said, warning mixed messages about the threat of the disease could reduce the uptake of jabs.
The booster campaign is set to begin on 5 September, with the new dual-variant Covid vaccine from Moderna among those to be administered.
However, with England ditching other Covid measures such as mass testing, and using terms such as “post-pandemic recovery”, experts have raised concerns that many of those eligible may not come forward for their vaccination.
“I think it’s very likely we will see a lower uptake for the autumn Covid-19 vaccine boosters than for the first two vaccinations,” said Azeem Majeed, a GP in west London and professor of primary care and public health at Imperial College London.
“We saw a lower uptake of the first booster last winter and for the second booster that was offered to older people and some other groups in the spring,” he added. “Speaking to my patients, many of them say they feel they have had enough Covid-19 vaccines.”
Adam Finn, a professor of paediatrics at the University of Bristol and a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), agreed achieving high uptake may be an issue.
“It’s a concern – especially since all other measures including testing have been dropped so there is a wide perception that the problem [of Covid] is over and done with,” he said.
“However, the fact that the programme is now entirely focused on people at enhanced risk of serious illness may help – the key group will be the elderly, and up until now most of them have come forward when called.”
Majeed said it was important there were clear public messages about the benefits and importance of the booster programme from government agencies, including NHS England, but said there was not much time for such a campaign given vaccinations are planned to start in a matter of weeks.
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