Suffolk and north-east Essex Covid-19 vaccination director says NHS is 'ready' for new booster programme

The medical director of Suffolk and north-east Essex's vaccination programme has said the NHS is ready to administer any new booster jab should it get rolled out in the future.

Dr Richard West said he and his colleagues are still awaiting news from NHS England on whether another booster push is imminent.

The winter booster campaign ended in February.

However, first and second doses of the jab are still being made available to the unvaccinated.

Dr West said: "The Covid-19 vaccine is relatively new and we are still in the process of learning about what is the best distance between vaccinations and courses of vaccines to ensure everyone gets maximum protection with minimum side effects.

"The national advisory group – the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) – constantly looks at what’s going on in terms of world prevalence and how long the vaccine and antibodies last for.

"They’re trying to vaccinate at a rate that is most beneficial to the population, especially vulnerable people."

More information on the local Covid vaccine response can be found on the NHS' website.