Covid spring booster jab campaign to start

The vaccination campaign begins on 15 April until 30 June

A spring Covid vaccination booster campaign for over those over the age of 75 is set to start on the Isle of Man later this month, Manx Care has said.

The programme is being rolled out in line with advice from the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.

The jabs, which will also be offered to be offered to those who are considered to be immunosuppressed and those living in care homes for older people, will be available from 15 April to 30 June.

Manx Care’s interim medical director Marina Hudson said the spring booster would allow those at risk of severe from Covid to maintain their protection.

It would "enable those who are most vulnerable to remain protected through the summer months", she said.

'Best protection'

The jabs, which were previously administered at the vaccination hub on Market Street, will be carried out at the new Summerhill View residential home development as a temporary venue.

However, Manx Care said arrangements had been made to deliver a limited number of appointments at sites situated in the north, south and west regions of the island on selected dates for more vulnerable individuals.

Those appointments will be offered in Douglas, Ramsey, Peel and Castletown and home visits will be available to anyone deemed housebound.

Anyone eligible for the spring booster, which had been updated since the original vaccines to target different Covid-19 variants, would be contacted via a letter, the health care body said.

Encouraging those eligible to take up the offer, Dr Hudson said: "Vaccination remains our best protection against severe Covid-19 and hospitalisation.