Written question WQ83506

Like the rest of the UK, we are following the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) on the booster campaign;

Their interim advice, issued June 2021, can be found here:

JCVI interim advice: potential COVID-19 booster vaccine programme winter 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Their final advice, issued September 2021, can be found here:

JCVI statement regarding a COVID-19 booster vaccine programme for winter 2021 to 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Following a review in September, which involved the British Thoracic Society and academic partners, the Green Book guidance was updated to recommend a booster for adults over 16 with “poorly-controlled asthma” who are at a higher risk of an adverse outcome form Covid-19 if they become infected. This is defined as requiring continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission.

Poorly controlled asthma is defined as:

- ≥2 courses of oral corticosteroids in the preceding 24 months OR

- on maintenance oral corticosteroids OR

- ≥1 hospital admission for asthma in the preceding 24 months

For more information, please see the following: https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/covid-19/covid-19-information-for-the-respiratory-community/#jcvi-adviceon-covid-19-booster-vaccination-for-adults-in-clinical-at-risk-groups-and-adults-with-asthma