Change to Covid vaccine eligibility ‘puzzling’, charity says | UK News

The boss of Age Scotland has said she is concerned that the NHS criteria for vaccinating people against flu and Covid is “puzzling”.

The free flu vaccine will be offered to those 65 and over this winter, in line with last year, but Covid boosters will only be given to people 75 and over – as well as those who are immunosuppressed.

Charity chief executive Katherine Crawford said she could not understand why people between 65 and 74 could not get a Covid vaccination at the same time as their flu jab.

The Scottish government said it was following the advice of UK experts.

It said the focus of its programme was shifting towards targeted Covid vaccination of the oldest adults and those who continue to be at highest risk.

For the past two years, all people 65 and over have been invited for a Covid booster jab to protect them during the winter months.

In 2022, the jab was offered to all over-50s.

But the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), experts who advise the UK government, said only those aged 75 and over should get the option this year.

Health boards across the country are starting to roll out their vaccination programme this month.

Ms Crawford, chief executive of Age Scotland, said the criteria for vaccinating people, particularly between the age of 65 to 74, felt confusing.

She said: “I can’t really understand the rationale behind the fact that if you’re going for a flu vaccine, you wouldn’t be able to just have a Covid vaccination at the same time.

“It does feel as though the government is moving to vaccinate to the bare minimum and that feels really puzzling.”

Ms Crawford said the confusion could cause to some older people to change how they go about their daily lives through the winter and it could lead to more loneliness and isolation.

The JCVI’s annual advice said Covid-19 was now a “relatively mild disease for most people”, with rates of hospitalisation and death having “reduced significantly”.

It said focusing on the oldest adults and individuals whose immune systems are compromised, as the two groups who continue to be at higher risk, was based on “a standard cost-effectiveness assessment, in line with other routine vaccinations”.

But Ms Crawford questioned whether the Scottish government should accept the UK-wide recommendations for this winter’s vaccination programme.

She said protecting more vulnerable people against Covid could help ease winter pressures on the health service.

During the Covid pandemic in 2020, eligibility for a free flu jab was extended to 50 to 64-year-olds.

This year, flu vaccination will be offered to everyone 65 and over, in line with last year.

Flu deaths hit a 40-year high in the first 14 weeks of 2025, with campaigners criticising the Scottish government’s decision to revert to pre-pandemic eligibility criteria.

Flu vaccinations will once again be offered to all children aged 2-18 after they were extended to secondary school pupils last year.

Other groups such as frontline health and social care workers, prisoners and people with certain health conditions will continue to be eligible for flu jabs.

Information from Public Health Scotland (PHS) showed overall flu vaccinations last winter were down by a fifth compared to the previous year, with 350,000 fewer vaccines administered.

In 2023/24, almost 1.65m people received a flu vaccine, with numbers falling to under 1.3m in winter 2024/25.

The government said there was high uptake from children and those at high risk, but “poor uptake from adults right across the board”.

The NHS will contact eligible people outlining appointment details or inviting them to book in the coming weeks.

Public health minister Jenni Minto said the Scottish government continued to be guided by the JCVI.

She said the overall threat of Covid-19 had diminished over time, due to high levels of vaccine-based immunity.

Public Health Scotland said the following groups were eligible for the Covid -19 vaccination in autumn 2025:

• adults over 75
• residents in a care home for older adults
• individuals aged six months and over who are immunosuppressed

NHS Scotland will offer a flu vaccine to those in the following groups:

• aged 65 and over (on or before 31 March 2025)
• aged 18 to 64 with an eligible health condition
• pregnant women
• living in a long-stay residential care home or other long-stay care facility
• living with someone who has a weakened immune system
• unpaid or young carers
• frontline health or social care workers and NHS staff
• a poultry worker or bird keeper
• an asylum seeker living in a home office hotel or B&B accommodation
• homeless people and those experiencing substance misuse
• living in a Scottish prison

A full list of those eligible for winter vaccinations is available on the PHS website.