UK recommends COVID-19 booster shots for over 50s

The U.K. will offer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to everyone over 50 and other vulnerable people after an an expert panel said the boosters were needed to protect against waning immunity this winter

LONDON -- The U.K. said Tuesday it will offer a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine to everyone over age 50 and other vulnerable people after an an expert panel said the boosters were needed to protect against waning immunity this winter. Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers that the government had accepted the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunization and would start offering booster shots next week. The World Health Organization has asked wealthy nations to delay booster shots until every country has vaccinated at least 40% of their populations. “The JCVI is advising that a booster dose be offered to the more vulnerable, to maximize individual protection ahead of an unpredictable winter,'' Professor Wei Shen Lim, the panel's chair, said during a media briefing. “Most of these people will also be eligible for the annual flu vaccine and we strongly advise them to take up this offer as well.” The JCVI said booster shots were needed to ensure vulnerable people are protected against COVID-19, because studies have shown that the immunity conferred by vaccines weakens over time. The panel recommended that everyone over 50, as well as health care workers, people with underlying health conditions and those who live with people who are immunosuppressed get a booster shot at least six months after they received their second dose of vaccine.