Spring Covid-19 Vaccination Programme

On 7 March 2023, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) issued advice that a Covid-19 Spring Booster dose should be offered to adults aged 75 years and over (or who will turn 75 by 30 June 2023), residents in care homes for older adults and people aged 5 years and over with a weakened immune system.

The spring programme will run from 27 March until 30 June 2023 and we would therefore encourage all those eligible to take up the offer as soon as they are called forward.

Your level of protection against Covid-19 fades over time, but a spring dose can increase your protection and reduce your risk of severe Covid-19 illness. It’s important to get the vaccine when you are offered it.

Who is eligible?

The following groups are eligible to receive a Spring Covid-19 Booster:

• Those aged 75 or over (or who will turn 75 by 30 June 2023)
• Care home residents
• People aged 5 – 74 with a weakened immune system

Throughout the pandemic, Covid-19 has disproportionately affected these groups. It is for this reason these groups are being offered an additional booster dose.

Wherever possible, the aim will be to ensure those who have a weakened immune system are offered the dose they are eligible for at the earliest opportunity with the minimum recommended gap between doses to ensure maximum protection from the virus.

When will Covid-19 Spring Booster vaccinations be given?

The Spring Booster dose will be offered around six months (24 weeks) after your last dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. Some people may be invited sooner than this (but at least 12 weeks since their last dose).

If you are eligible to receive a Spring Booster, NHS Scotland will contact you by letter, email or text. Please wait to be contacted.

Key dates:

• We will start vaccinating care home residents and those who are housebound in the week commencing 27 March 2023.

• Community vaccination clinics for those aged 75 and over will start from 11 April 2023. You will receive a scheduled appointment date and time by letter, text or email by late March.

• If your child is aged 5 to 11 years and has a weakened immune system, you will be contacted with a scheduled appointment date and time with appointments starting from mid-May. Please note your child must have turned 5 by 1 April 2023 to be eligible for a Spring Booster.

• If you or your child are aged 12 to 74 years and have a weakened immune system, you will be contacted with a scheduled appointment date and time or you will receive a prompt with instructions on how to book an appointment online or via the helpline. Appointments for this group will be offered from 24 April 2023.

What if I need to update my contact details?

• You can now update your contact details and your preferred method of contact on the online portal here: https://vacs.nhs.scot/csp

• It is important you keep your contact details up to date to ensure you receive information about upcoming Covid-19 vaccines you are eligible for.

• To update these details log into your account using your unique vaccination username - you can find this on any appointment letter or email that you have received previously.

• If you do not know your username, you can recover it using a past vaccination date which you can find on your Covid-19 status app or paper copy of your record of vaccination. If you do not have these, you will need to call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.

• If you are booking, rescheduling or cancelling an appointment on behalf of someone else please do not do this via the online portal. Instead, call the helpline so that the person you are booking for continues to get letters for future vaccination invitations, prompts or reminders.

What if I need to reschedule or cancel an appointment?

If you are unable to attend your Covid-19 vaccination appointment, please cancel or reschedule. This will allow us to offer the appointment to someone else.

If your appointment time, date or venue is no longer suitable or you can no longer attend, please rearrange via the online booking portal at www.nhsinform.scot/springbooster, or if you don’t have online access call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013. This will allow us to offer the appointment to someone else.

To reschedule a spring vaccine appointment for a child under 12, please call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.

If you are booking, rescheduling or cancelling an appointment on behalf of someone else please do not do this via the online portal. In such cases, you should phone the helpline so that the person you are booking for continues to get letters for future vaccination invitations, prompts or reminders.

For Information

• Vaccinations will be administered in community clinics. Please do not contact your GP practice to book your Covid-19 Spring Booster appointment as they will not be able to book it for you.

• If you’re unwell, wait until you’ve recovered to have your Covid-19 vaccine. You should not attend an appointment if you have a fever or think you might be infectious to others.

• If you have had a Covid-19 vaccine before, but not yet received all the doses you are eligible for, you can book your outstanding doses via the booking portal: https://vacs.nhs.scot/csp. The offer of primary (first and second) doses for those who have no underlying conditions that put them at greater risk of Covid-19 will end on 30 June 2023.

• You can check eligibility and find trusted, accurate and reliable information that you need to make an informed choice for you or your child on NHS inform: www.nhsinform.scot/springbooster

• If you are eligible to receive a pneumococcal vaccination and have not yet received it, you will be offered it when you attend your Covid-19 Spring Booster appointment.