What's on this page
Book a Covid-19 vaccine
Safety and effectiveness
Side effects
Book a Covid-19 vaccine
The vaccine is the best way to protect yourself against serious illness and hospitalisation from Covid-19.
That’s why people at higher risk, such as older people and those with certain health conditions, may be offered another dose of the vaccine as part of the NHS seasonal Covid-19 vaccine programme.
This includes:
- adults aged 75 and over
- people aged 6 months to 74 years with a weakened immune system (immunosuppression)
- people who live in a care home for older adults.
You can find a full list of who will be offered the most recent booster in the Covid-19 section of the Immunisation Green Book.
The Covid-19 virus is constantly changing. This means that even if you’ve had the vaccine before, your level of immunity is likely to be weaker than it was last year.
Because of this, the NHS encourages people who are eligible for the Covid-19 vaccine to top up their protection as soon as possible.
How do I book a Covid-19 vaccine booster?
The NHS Covid-19 vaccine programme is currently closed until autumn 2025.
If you’re in a group being offered the vaccine you will likely get a text reminder from the NHS when it reopens.
You will be able to book your booster by:
- going online
- calling 119 in England or 0800 030 8013 in Scotland
- going to a walk-in vaccination site
- booking on the NHS App
- talking to your GP surgery or other local NHS services
- talking to your care home.
What are the different types of Covid-19 vaccine?
Pfizer's Comirnaty and Moderna's Spikevax vaccines are currently the 2 types of vaccines offered in the UK.
They are both mRNA vaccines and have been updated to provide slightly higher levels of protection against more recent strains of Covid-19.
Most people only need 1 dose of the booster vaccine.
How long after Covid-19 can I get a vaccine booster?
You do not have to wait to get the vaccine if you’ve recently had Covid-19.
However, if you currently have Covid-19, a fever or feel unwell because of another illness, the NHS advises you to wait until you have fully recovered before getting the booster.
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Safety and effectiveness
Vaccines are only approved for use after being tested on many thousands of people. All the approved vaccines have been shown to be safe, including for people with heart conditions.
In the UK, tens of millions of people have now had a Covid-19 vaccine, and reports of serious side effects have been very small.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continues to monitor Covid-19 vaccines to make sure they meet strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
Do Covid-19 vaccines work?
Covid-19 vaccines have been proven to be very effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalisation and death from the virus.
We also know that boosters offer more protection against serious illness and hospitalisation from Covid-19.
The COALESCE study, published in January 2024, looked at the health records of 67 million people aged 5 and over in the UK from 1 June to 30 September 2022.
The researchers found that not having all eligible Covid-19 vaccine doses was associated with more hospitalisations and deaths across all age groups.
The study also found that people aged 75 and above who did not receive all the doses they were eligible for were twice as likely to become severely ill with Covid-19, compared to those who were fully vaccinated.
Can Covid-19 vaccines prevent heart problems?
There’s some evidence that Covid-19 vaccines are associated with a lower risk of heart attack and stroke.
This may be because Covid-19 is linked to a higher risk of blood clots. These can block blood supply to the heart or the brain, which is the cause of heart attacks and stroke.
A study of nearly 46 million adults in England published in July 2024 in the journal Nature Communications found that in the 13 to 24 weeks after the first dose of any Covid-19 vaccine doctors saw 10 per cent fewer cases of blood clots in the arteries, including heart attacks and strokes, than they did in those who did not get vaccinated.
And 13 to 24 weeks after a second dose of the Pfizer vaccine, the incidence of these events was 20 per cent lower in this group compared to those who only had 1 dose of Covid-19 vaccine, reported the study which was part-funded by British Heart Foundation (BHF).
How long does a Covid-19 vaccine last?
It may take a few weeks to build up protection from your first dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Your body should respond more quickly to any future doses.
After that, research suggests that the vaccine is effective at preventing serious illness for at least 6 months.
UK Health Security Agency data for the autumn 2023 Covid-19 vaccine booster shows the chance of being hospitalised with the virus was 32 per cent lower at 20 to 24 weeks after vaccination for over 65-year-olds, compared to those who did not have the booster.
This effectiveness fell to 12 per cent at 30 or more weeks after vaccination, shows the data for England.
Side effects
The vast majority of side effects for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are mild and short-term.
They often include things like:
- pain at the injection site
- tiredness
- headache
- muscle pain
- chills.
The Moderna vaccine can also give you joint pain.
You can take paracetamol to treat any of these side effects.
Often side effects are just a sign that the vaccine is doing its job.
Some people might feel slightly unwell because their immune system is responding to the protein, but this is not Covid-19, and the vaccine cannot give you the virus.
What are Covid-19 vaccine heart side effects?
There is a link between mRNA Covid-19 vaccines and an increased risk of myocarditis and pericarditis.
However, the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis after a Covid-19 vaccine is very low.
According to patient leaflets for the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, up to 1 in 10,000 people may experience myocarditis or pericarditis after being vaccinated.
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