The NHS in Liverpool will be starting to offer COVID-19 autumn boosters to those who are eligible from today – with those at highest risk being offered it first, including residents and staff in care homes, and some housebound patients.

From Monday 12 September, the autumn boosters will also be made available to health and social care workers, and to patients aged 75 or over – with other eligible groups expected to follow soon after.

Those who are eligible for an autumn booster include:

• Residents and staff in care homes
• Frontline health and social care workers
• All adults aged 50 years and over
• People aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group
• People aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people who are immunosuppressed
• People aged 16 to 49 years who are carers

Everyone who is eligible for the booster will be contacted by the NHS when it’s their turn to be vaccinated – either by letter or text.

People are asked not to contact their GP Practice or other local NHS services about making an appointment for vaccination before this, as the NHS is prioritising vaccine supplies for those who are most at risk of serious illness from COVID-19 first.

The autumn booster will be the first bivalent COVID-19 vaccine to be offered in the UK, meaning that it will provide protection against both the original covid strain, and the newer Omicron variant.

The launch of autumn boosters this week also coincides with the news that one million COVID-19 vaccines have now been provided to residents in Liverpool. This includes all first, second, and booster doses administered in Liverpool since the vaccine programme first began, back in December 2020.

As well as providing the autumn boosters, the NHS ‘evergreen’ offer will continue to be in place for any adults and children (aged 5+) who are still unvaccinated, or only partially vaccinated against COVID-19.

Those people can make an appointment to get a first or second dose at a local vaccination clinic now by visiting www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by calling 119.

For more information about the autumn COVID-19 booster, read the frequently asked questions (FAQ).