Who’s eligible for the 2026 COVID-19 vaccine, or ‘Autumn Booster’?

https://ukhsa.blog.gov.uk/2026/09/09/whos-eligible-for-the-2026-covid-19-vaccine-or-autumn-booster/ When autumn comes, protection from any earlier COVID-19 vaccination you may have had will be starting to wane. For those who are more likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19, the NHS offers a free vaccine in the autumn, previously known as the 'Autumn Booster'. Current vaccines provide good protection against severe disease and hospitalisation. UKHSA surveillance data relating to last autumn's programme shows that vaccine effectiveness was 47% for the 3 months following vaccination. Vaccination continues to help protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths arising from COVID-19. NHS England data suggests that between October 2025 and January 2026 around 16,000 people were admitted to hospital with the virus. Eligible groups for autumn 2026 Ministers have accepted the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) for the autumn 2026 COVID-19 vaccination programme, which focuses on vaccinating those at highest risk of serious disease. For autumn 2026, COVID-19 vaccination is offered to: adults aged 75 years and over residents in care homes for...