Who is eligible for the COVID-19 spring booster?
The COVID-19 spring booster vaccine is being offered to those who are at higher risk of severe illness from COVID-19.
Care Homes
All residents in care homes for older adults, all adults who will be aged 75 or over by 30 June 2023, and all those aged 5 and over with a weakened immune system (must have turned 5 by 1 April 2023) are eligible for the COVID-19 spring booster.
Those living with HIV
People with a weakened immune system who have a disease that affects the immune system (such as HIV) are also being offered the vaccine. The vaccine is being offered to people living with HIV as they may not have produced a full immune response from previous doses, and their level of protection may have faded over time.
How will those eligible for the spring booster be invited forward?
Residents in homes for older adults will receive their vaccine through their care home from 27 March 2023.
If you are aged 75 years and over (or who will turn 75 by 30 June 2023) you should have been contacted with a scheduled appointment date and time. If you have not received your appointment details you can book your spring booster vaccination online at www.nhsinform.scot/springbooster or call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.
If you are aged 5 to 74 years and have a weakened immune system, you should have been contacted either with a scheduled appointment date and time, or a prompt to book an appointment. If you have not received either of these, you can book your spring booster vaccination online at www.nhsinform.scot/springbooster or call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.
If you or your child are eligible for a spring booster vaccination, but have not yet received an appointment or a prompt, you can book via the online portal, or by calling the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013. To reschedule a spring booster appointment for a child under 12, please call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.
If you are unsure if you are eligible or have a weakened immune system, you can call the helpline who can refer you to your local Health Board, or you can phone your GP or secondary care health professional, who can refer you to your local immunisation team to assess if you are eligible for vaccination.
You can check eligibility and find trusted, accurate and reliable information that you need to make an informed choice for you or your child on NHS inform: www.nhsinform.scot/springbooster
It is important that everyone who is eligible takes up a booster this spring. All vaccines will increase your protection against being severely ill from COVID-19.
What if I'm housebound?
If you are housebound, you will receive a letter informing you of the date our vaccination team will visit your home.
If you need to discuss any aspect of your vaccination, or can attend a clinic, our letter will tell you who to call.
If you're housebound, please phone the national vaccination helpline on 0800 030 8013.
What if I'm in a care home?
Care home staff should contact 01592 648048 to arrange an appointment. Care home residents should talk to staff in the care home who will make the necessary arrangements.
When will letters be sent out?
For those aged 75 and over, you should already have received your appointment letter.
Citizens aged 5+ with a weakened immune system can expect to receive letters about their appointments around mid-late April.
For housebound citizens, letters will arrive early April.
Rescheduling appointments
If your appointment time, date or venue does not suit or you can no longer attend, visit nhsinform to reschedule.
Note that the timing of your appointment is based on clinical advice and the optimum gap since your last COVID-19 vaccine to maximise your protection over spring and summer months. There is no need to reschedule to an earlier date.
Note that for children under 12, you must call 0800 030 8013.
Visit NHS inform for further information about the Spring booster programme.
Missed your first or second dose?
As part of our open access services, you have up until June 2023 to arrange to get vaccinated if you would like to get your first or second dose of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.
You can attend these services if you would like to get your first or second dose of the coronavirus vaccine. For example, you:
- only recently become a resident in Scotland
- have become newly eligible by turning 12 years of age
- didn't attend when invited up till now but would now like to get vaccinated
- had your first dose and did not attend for your second dose (e.g you may have moved address, moved countries or recently had coronavirus)
- To find out more visit NHS Inform or call the National helpline on 0800 030 8013.