Will the Minister set out the difference between the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's interim advice and its final advice on COVID-19 booster vaccinations for asthma sufferers?
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:
Their final advice, issued September 2021, can be found here:
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