COVID booster jabs could be approved for sale in Jersey pharmacies – if the Island follows UK health officials in supporting the move.
Following a de-escalation of the coronavirus emergency response and scaling back of the booster programme, pharmacies across the UK have been given the go-ahead to make the vaccine available in a similar way to the annual flu jab.
Jersey’s public health director Peter Bradley welcomed the decision – made by the UK Health Security Agency – and said it signalled a ‘move to a more sustainable management of Covid’.
But he stressed that any decision over whether the Island would follow the UK would be made by the government’s vaccination board.
Currently the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, upon which Jersey bases its vaccine policy, recommends autumn boosters only for those aged 65 and over, and people in defined at-risk groups.
The jabs are not expected to be available for private sale in the UK this autumn, but are likely to be on offer at some point next year.
The news comes as a new Covid strain, named Eris, appears to be steadily growing in prevalence around the globe. The World Health Organisation has said there is no evidence to suggest it is any more dangerous than previous variants, but some scientists have warned it could be better able to evade natural or vaccine-based immunity.
Commenting on the UKHSA’s ruling, Professor Bradley said: ‘While this is welcome news in the UK and signals the move to a more sustainable management of Covid, any decision made regarding vaccines in Jersey will be made by the Government of Jersey’s vaccination board.
‘The vaccine centre remains open to immunosuppressed individuals and any future plans, including those of an autumn booster campaign, will be announced in due course.’
Rob Reid, a director at Reid’s Pharmacy, said he would be ‘very surprised’ if booster jabs became available for public sale before next year.
‘If everything is agreed and cleared, then we would [sell them] – anything to speed things up and help get the public what they need,’ he said.
Ethan Clark, of Little Grove Pharmacy, added: ‘It will come down to decisions made by the local government, but anything that would put more footfall into pharmacies while also helping the public – we’d be happy to do it.’
The vaccination centre first opened at Fort Regent in 2020 and, following the closure of the spring booster campaign, is currently closed, with the exception of specific appointments for immunosuppressed Islanders.
Details for the autumn booster campaign will be available on the gov.je website once they have been confirmed.
