Autumn COVID-19 booster and flu vaccine programme and resources

The government has accepted final Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice setting out which priority groups should be offered a COVID-19 booster vaccine this autumn. These groups include residents and staff in care homes for older adults and other frontline health and social care workers.

NHS England (NHSE) has recently issued a letter with details about the roll-out of the COVID-19 booster and flu campaigns. The flu programme begins on 1 September and visits to care homes, which will be primarily COVID-19 focused, from 5 September. The COVID-19 autumn booster campaign formally begins on 12 September.

To support care providers with autumn vaccinations campaigns, NHSE has produced a host of materials and resources available from the Campaign Resource Centre. Printed materials can be pre-ordered until 31 August.

Nuvaxovid, the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Novavax, has been granted an extension to its existing UK approval, for 12- to 17-year-olds. This extension has been authorised by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Using the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate COVID-19 status

The UK Health Security Agency has updated the guidance on how to use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad to reflect that from 21 July, children aged five to 11 in England and the Isle of Man can get a digital NHS COVID Pass for international travel.

The R value and growth rate

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest reproduction number (R) and growth rate of COVID-19.

The current R range for England is between 0.79 to 0.9, which means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 7 and 9 other people. The latest growth rate between -5% and -2% meaning that the number of new infections is shrinking by between 2% and 5% every day.

These estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 2 to 3 weeks ago due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare.

On 18 August, the UKHSA published the latest national influenza and COVID-19 report, monitoring COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has published the latest national influenza and COVID-19 report, monitoring COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.

Surveillance indicators suggest that, at a national level, COVID-19 activity has decreased in several indicators in week thirty-three of 2022. The main findings include:

• The number of acute respiratory infection incidents (suspected outbreaks) decreased to 124 in week 33, compared to 172 in the previous week
• Positivity for laboratory confirmed cases for week 33 was 4.7 per 100,000 population, a decrease from 5.9 in the previous week
• The hospital admission rate was 7.35 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 8.90 per 100,000 population
• Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the North East, with a rate of 9.67 per 100,000 population.

The UKHSA is reminding the public to keep up the actions that are helping to reduce the spread of the virus - meeting in well-ventilated spaces, washing hands regularly and staying away from others where possible if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness.