Private Covid Jabs To Be Available By Early 2024

Health officials confirm support for private provision as the NHS raises the lower age limit for booster vaccines to 65.

Covid booster vaccines will soon be up for grabs in the UK as health authorities reiterate their endorsement of the idea. Pharmacies and private clinics will be allowed to sell vaccines on the high street, much like the flu vaccine. While they may not arrive in time for an autumn booster campaign, they should hit the market early next year.

A UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) spokesperson confirmed there are “no blanket restrictions” on privately selling vaccines. This move has been endorsed by scientists, who are concerned about a potential resurgence of the virus in the autumn and winter.

Additionally, sources indicate that health authorities won’t hinder manufacturers from establishing a private market for the vaccines.

In the UK, Covid vaccines have only been available through the NHS, free at the point of delivery, since the first dose in December 2020.

This month, the UK government announced that the autumn Covid booster programme would cover a smaller portion of the population compared to 2022. The minimum age has been raised from 50 to 65, with some younger vulnerable groups also eligible.

Moderna and Pfizer, the government’s two suppliers, have stated that supplying the NHS remains their top priority. However, Moderna has expressed openness to “exploring the possibility and feasibility of providing Covid-19 vaccines to healthcare providers for private sales.”

Philippa Harvey, director of the Covid vaccine unit at UKHSA, said, “The Covid-19 vaccination programme continues to target those at higher risk of serious illness in line with JCVI [Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation] advice, as those groups are most likely to benefit from booster vaccination at this time.”

While Covid-19 vaccines are not currently available for private purchase in the UK, as The Independent recently noted, there is no blanket restriction on privately selling licensed vaccines. UKHSA plans to collaborate with manufacturers to ensure an adequate vaccine supply for the NHS programme.

A UKHSA spokesperson stated, “We have spoken to manufacturers we’re in contract with and made it clear we won’t prevent them initiating a private market for Covid-19 vaccines; rather, we’d welcome such an innovation in the UK.”

The Covid vaccines already in use would not require new regulatory approval to be sold to the public, according to a spokesperson for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

Reports suggest that private vaccinations could be offered as early as this autumn in the US. Moderna has indicated a price of approximately £102, while Pfizer suggested £88 to £102 per dose last year.

Prof Adam Finn, a member of the JCVI, believes that Covid vaccines should be commercially available. Some employers may wish to offer vaccines to their employees, he added.

Speaking in a personal capacity, Finn said, “I think it will be a good idea for vaccines to be made available to those that want them on the private market. I don’t really see any reason why that shouldn’t be happening.”

However, Prof Danny Altmann, an immunologist at Imperial College London, cautioned against the move, stating, “Covid and long Covid vulnerability has been massively skewed to the most socioeconomically deprived – for example, those in jobs least compatible with working from home or taking time off when infected. By outsourcing vaccines to private medicine, we exacerbate this divide.”