THE autumn drive to boost immunity against Covid -19 is underway across Dorset - with thousands of jabs given already.

Since the autumn booster programme kicked off at the start of September, 22,000 people have received their jab including some of our most at risk residents who are housebound or live in a care home.

In Dorset 450,000 people are eligible for the autumn booster, including:

  • Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
  • Frontline health and social care workers
  • All adults aged 50 years and over
  • People aged 5-49 years in a clinical risk group
  • People aged 5-49 who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
  • People aged 16-49 years who are carers

This winter will be the first time we see the real effects of both Covid and flu in full circulation as we go about life as normal.

For everyone – particularly those most susceptible to serious illness - getting the vaccinations for both viruses will help to boost immunity during the colder months.

Some of the vaccine sites offer people both jabs at the same time to save travelling twice. 

Eligible people may be contacted in several ways including a national NHS letter, NHS text message, by their GP and/or by their employer (for health and social care workers).