Over a third take up virus 'spring booster'
A third of older people in England have had their "spring booster" of Covid-19 vaccine, new figures show.
Data from UK Health Security Agency show 33.6% of over-75s had received the jab as of April 17 – up from just over a quarter (26.1%) a week earlier.
Among people aged 80 and over the proportion is slightly higher at 35.8%.
The spring booster campaign began on March 21 and anyone aged 75 and over, who is at least six months on from their most recent jab, is being invited to get a fourth dose of the vaccine.
Residents of older adult care homes and people who are immunosuppressed are also eligible to receive the booster. The campaign was launched following guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that those most vulnerable to coronavirus should receive a fourth jab as a precautionary measure.
Immunity from vaccination declines over time and many older adults received their most recent vaccine dose in September or October.
The NHS estimates around five million people in England will be eligible for a spring booster during the campaign.
Take-up of the booster may have been affected by high levels of infection in the past month - driven by the Omicron BA.2 variant.
Vaccines cannot be given to anybody who is within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus.
People aged 70 and over have experienced record levels of infection during the current wave, with an estimated 7.2% - one in 14 - likely to have had the virus in the week to April 9, according to the Office for National Statistics.