Covid booster vaccine for care home residents | Autumn 2024

To help continue to build immunity to Covid and reduce the chances of becoming seriously ill, a seasonal booster is being offered during autumn 2024 to those categorised as being most at risk from the virus.

Who can get the booster vaccine?

Although more scaled back than previous roll outs, the autumn booster vaccine will again be available to a number of people.

This includes:

• Residents and staff in care homes for older adults
• Adults aged 65 years and over
• Anyone from 6 months to 64 years old in a clinical risk group
• Frontline NHS and social workers
• People who are immunosuppressed

When is the booster vaccine available?

If you are eligible for the autumn vaccine, you should have received your invite to book your appointment. For care home residents, this will generally be arranged through the care home.

Vaccinations for care home residents began in October.

People with the highest risk of getting Covid will be offered the vaccine first.

If you think you are eligible but haven’t yet received your invitation, please wait to be contacted. Please only contact your GP if you think you should have been contacted already.

You should be offered an appointment between October and December. Those at highest risk will be called in first. You should have your vaccine at least 3 months after your last one.

Supporting someone with dementia to have the vaccine

Although care home residents are placed as a high priority for the autumn booster, encouraging a loved one with dementia to have the vaccine can be a challenge. They may be confused about why they need it, or have behaviours that make administering a vaccination difficult.

In spite of these challenges, supporting your loved one to have the vaccine is really important to give them the best defence against Covid during the autumn and winter season.

Which vaccine will you be given?

If you are eligible, the autumn booster dose you will receive will be a vaccine made by Pfizer or Moderna. These vaccines have been updated and give slightly higher levels of antibody against some strains of Omicron.

The autumn vaccine will help to continue to build immunity from the virus and minimise the impact it has this winter season.  

Click here to book or manage your seasonal Covid booster. 

Common side effects

Common side effects for Covid vaccines are:

• heavy pain and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection
• fatigue
• headache
• aches or mild flu-like symptoms

You can take Paracetamol to help alleviate these side effects.

Symptoms after having the vaccination should not last longer than a week. If your symptoms worsen or you are worried, you can call NHS 111.

Help and support

Who is eligible for a flu vaccine
Find a pharmacy that offers the NHS flu vaccine