The NHS Covid booster spring programme has begun, allowing eligible adults to get top-up protection against the virus. The national programme runs from Tuesday, April 1 until Tuesday, June 17, with priority given to care home residents and those who are house-bound.

Are you eligible for a spring Covid-19 booster?

Those who are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccination this spring are:

• Those aged 75 or over (this includes those who will be 75 by June 17 2025)
• Those aged 6 months to 74-years-old and that have a weakened immune system because of a health condition or treatment
• Those who live in a care home for older adults

How to book your Covid-19 booster vaccine

You may have already received your invite from your GP, but you do not need to wait to be invited to get boosted. Those eligible can book their vaccine online on the NHS website or via the NHS app.

If you’d rather not book online, you can call 119 free of charge to book over the phone. You can speak to a translator if you need to.

For those with hearing difficulties, you can use textphone 18001 or the NHS 119 British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter service if you have difficulties communicating or hearing, or if you are a BSL user.

According to the NHS, getting the COVID-19 vaccine can:

• help reduce your risk of getting severe symptoms
• help you recover more quickly if you catch COVID-19
• help reduce your risk of having to go to hospital or dying from COVID-19
• protect against different types of COVID-19 virus

The most common side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine are mild and get better within a week.

They can include:

• a sore arm from the injection
• feeling tired
• a headache
• feeling achy
• mild flu-like symptoms