• All adults aged 65 years and over
• Residents  and staff working in a care home for older adults
• Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
• Frontline health and social care workers
• Persons aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
• Persons aged 16 to 64 years who are carers

This include those who turn 65 years old by 31th March 2024 who are eligible for a vaccination at any point in the campaign. Those who are admitted to an older adult care home or become immunosuppressed by 31 March are considered eligible as well.

The JCVI also advised that primary course vaccination for individuals in the above cohorts who have not had any previous doses should be offered. They should receive a single dose of COVID-19 vaccine during the campaign period.

Clinical risk groups 

Chronic respiratory disease  Individuals with a severe lung condition, including those with poorly controlled asthma1 and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)including chronic bronchitis and emphysema; bronchiectasis, cystic fibrosis, interstitial lung fibrosis, pneumoconiosis and bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Chronic heart disease and vascular disease
Congenital heart disease, hypertension with cardiac complications, chronic heart failure, individuals requiring regular medication and/or follow-up for ischaemic heart disease. This includes individuals with atrial fibrillation,
peripheral vascular disease or a history of venous tromboembolism.

Chronic kidney disease Chronic kidney disease at stage 3, 4 or 5, chronic kidney failure, nephrotic syndrome, kidney transplantation.

Chronic liver disease Cirrhosis, biliary atresia, chronic hepatitis.

Chronic neurological disease Stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA). Conditions in which respiratory function may be compromised due to neurological or neuromuscular disease (e.g. polio syndrome sufferers). This group also includes individuals with cerebral palsy, severe or profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD) including all those on the learning disability register, Down’s syndrome, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease and related or similar conditions; or hereditary and degenerative disease of the nervous system or muscles; or severe neurological disability.

Diabetes mellitus and other endocrine disorders Any diabetes, including diet-controlled diabetes, current gestational diabetes, and Addison’s disease.

Immunosuppression Some immunosuppressed patients may have a suboptimal immunological response to the vaccine (see Immunosuppression and HIV below).

Asplenia or dysfunction of the spleen This also includes conditions that may lead to splenic dysfunction, such as homozygous sickle cell disease, thalassemia major and coeliac syndrome.

Morbid obesity Adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥40 kg/m².

Severe mental illness Individuals with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, or any mental illness that causes severe functional impairment.

Younger adults in long-stay nursing and residential care settings Many younger adults in residential care settings will be eligible for vaccination because they fall into one of the clinical risk groups above (for example learning disabilities). Given the likely high risk of exposure in these settings, where a high proportion of the population would be considered eligible, vaccination of the whole resident population is recommended. Younger residents in care homes for the elderly will be at high risk of exposure, and although they may be at lower risk of mortality than older residents should not be excluded from vaccination programmes

Pregnancy All stages (first, second and third trimesters)

Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including patients undergoing chemotherapy leading to immunosuppression, patients undergoing radical radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients, HIV infection at all stages, multiple myeloma or genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. IRAK-4, NEMO, complement disorder, SCID).

Individuals who are receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy including, but not limited to, anti-TNF, alemtuzumab, ofatumumab, rituximab, patients receiving protein kinase inhibitors or PARP inhibitors, and individuals treated with steroid sparing agents such as cyclophosphamide and mycophenolate mofetil.

Individuals treated with or likely to be treated with systemic steroids for more than a month at a dose equivalent to prednisolone at 20mg or more per day for adults.

Anyone with a history of haematological malignancy, including leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma.

Those who require long term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions including, but not limited to, systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma and psoriasis.