Should You Get the COVID Booster This Autumn? The 2026 Eligibility Guide
Short answer: You should take up the autumn 2026 COVID booster if you are 75 or over, live in a care home for older adults, or are aged 6 months and over with a weakened immune system as defined in the Green Book on Immunisation. These are the only groups the NHS is inviting this autumn, following the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). If you are not in one of these groups, you will not be offered the vaccine, even if you were invited in an earlier campaign.
The rules for the autumn 2026 programme were confirmed by the government on 23 March 2026, accepting JCVI advice published on 16 July 2025. The eligible cohorts are unchanged from the spring 2025, autumn 2025 and spring 2026 campaigns, and eligibility is the same across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The programme was previously known as the “Autumn Booster”.
COVID-19 has not gone away. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) reports that between October 2025 and January 2026, around 16,000 people were admitted to hospital with the virus, based on NHS England data. Because protection from earlier vaccination wanes over time, and because the virus spreads more easily in winter when people spend more time indoors together, the autumn programme exists to top up protection in the people most likely to become seriously ill.
Who should get the COVID booster this autumn?
The government has accepted the JCVI’s advice that vaccination should be offered to those at higher risk of serious outcomes from COVID-19. The eligible cohorts for autumn 2026 are:
- Adults aged 75 years and over. Age is the single strongest risk factor for severe COVID-19, so this group is offered the booster every autumn.
- Residents in care homes for older adults. People living in care homes face a higher risk both of catching respiratory infections and of becoming seriously ill from them, so vaccination is offered within the home.
- Individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book on Immunisation, the UKHSA’s guidance on immunisation against infectious disease.
Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson said in the announcement: “Older adults and individuals who are immunosuppressed continue to be at the highest risk of serious disease from COVID-19,” and encouraged everyone who is invited to take up the offer to protect themselves.
What counts as immunosuppressed?
The immunosuppression criteria are clinical, and the UKHSA acknowledges that they can be confusing for non-experts. The Green Book definition is written for health professionals, but the UKHSA lists some of the main groups it covers:
- Organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant patients
- People being treated with systemic steroids for more than a month
- People living with HIV
- People receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy, including children who are about to receive therapy
- People undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy
- People requiring long-term treatment for immunosuppression
- People with a history of haematological malignancy, including chronic leukaemia and lymphomas
- People with genetic disorders affecting the immune system
This list summarises some of the major groups but does not cover everything. If you are unsure whether you meet the criteria, speak to your GP surgery, pharmacist or specialist team. Do not assume you are included, and do not assume you are excluded, without checking.
Why is the booster offered to these groups?
The JCVI’s consistent advice has been to focus vaccination on those at the highest risk of serious disease. Three strands of evidence sit behind that decision.
First, protection fades. UKHSA surveillance of last autumn’s programme showed that vaccine effectiveness was 47% for the three months following vaccination. An autumn booster therefore restores protection through the winter months when the virus circulates most.
Second, the burden of severe disease remains real. The UKHSA’s September 2026 update notes that NHS England data recorded around 16,000 hospital admissions with COVID-19 between October 2025 and January 2026. Vaccination continues to help protect against severe illness, hospitalisations and deaths arising from COVID-19.
Third, COVID-19 spreads more easily in winter because people spend more time indoors with others. Timing the programme for autumn, with booking from 1 October, means the period of strongest protection falls when it is needed most.
How to book your autumn COVID booster
Booking for the autumn 2026 programme is now open. The UKHSA advises eligible people to visit the NHS website and choose a date and time from 1 October, or to book through the NHS App. Invitations are also being sent to those who are eligible.
Two timing rules are worth knowing before you book:
- The vaccine should usually be offered no earlier than around six months after your last dose. If your last vaccination was recent, you may need to wait before having the autumn dose.
- You can take up the offer even if you have not taken up a COVID-19 vaccine offer in the past. There is no requirement to have been vaccinated before.
If you think you may be eligible through the immunosuppression criteria but have not been invited, contact your GP surgery. Records do not always reflect a recent diagnosis or a change in treatment, and it is better to ask than to miss out.
Can you have the COVID booster and the flu jab together?
Yes. The two vaccines can be given at the same appointment, and many people who are eligible for both will be offered them together. If you would rather have them separately, that is also fine.
The eligibility rules for the two programmes are different, though, and this is where confusion often arises. The free flu programme for 2026/27 starts at age 65 and also covers adults aged 18 to 64 in clinical risk groups, pregnant women, carers, close contacts of immunocompromised people, and frontline health and social care workers. The autumn COVID booster starts at 75. If you are comparing the two programmes, our 2026/27 flu eligibility guide sets out the full free flu jab cohorts. A flu invitation does not mean you qualify for the COVID booster, and the reverse is also true.
What does the autumn booster protect against?
The booster protects against severe illness, hospitalisation and death from COVID-19. Current vaccines provide good protection against severe disease, and UKHSA surveillance data from last autumn’s programme showed vaccine effectiveness of 47% for the three months following vaccination.
It is worth being precise about what that figure means. A 47% effectiveness does not mean the vaccine fails the rest of the time. It means that, compared with unvaccinated people in similar circumstances, vaccinated people had their risk of severe outcomes roughly halved over that three-month period. The booster does not guarantee you will not catch the virus, and it does not replace the usual winter precautions such as staying home when unwell, but it meaningfully reduces the chance of a severe outcome.
Because protection wanes after a few months, the autumn programme is deliberately timed so that the period of strongest protection falls over winter, when respiratory viruses circulate most heavily.
Who is not invited for the autumn booster?
The autumn 2026 programme is narrower than some earlier campaigns. Several groups who were invited in the past are not included this time:
- Adults aged 65 to 74 who are not immunosuppressed and do not live in a care home. Many of these people qualify for the free flu jab, but the COVID age threshold is 75.
- People with long-term health conditions such as asthma, diabetes or heart disease who are not immunosuppressed. The JCVI’s autumn advice targets immunosuppression rather than the broader clinical risk groups used for the flu programme.
- Carers, close contacts of immunocompromised people, and frontline health and social care workers, unless they are themselves in one of the eligible groups. These groups are covered by the flu programme, not the autumn COVID programme.
- Healthy adults and children outside the eligible groups.
If you are not invited, it is because the JCVI’s assessment is that your risk of serious disease does not meet the threshold for this campaign. That assessment is reviewed for each campaign, so the cohorts can change in future programmes.
Frequently asked questions
Who should get the COVID booster this autumn?
Adults aged 75 and over, residents in care homes for older adults, and individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed as defined in the Green Book’s COVID-19 chapter. The criteria are the same across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
I had the booster last autumn. Do I need it again?
If you are in one of the eligible groups, yes. Protection from vaccination wanes over time, and the JCVI advises revaccination for the highest-risk groups each autumn. The vaccine should usually be given no earlier than around six months after your last dose.
Can I get the booster if I have never had a COVID vaccine?
Yes. The UKHSA confirms that eligible people can take up the autumn offer even if they have not taken up a COVID-19 vaccine offer in the past.
When should I book my autumn COVID booster?
Booking is open now, with appointments available from 1 October 2026. Book through the NHS website or the NHS App. The vaccine is usually offered no earlier than around six months after your last dose.
Is the autumn COVID booster free?
Yes, for everyone in the eligible groups. The NHS provides the vaccine at no charge to those who are invited.
Can I have the COVID booster and the flu jab at the same time?
Yes, they can be given at the same appointment. Note that the eligibility rules differ: the free flu jab starts at 65 and covers broader groups, while the autumn COVID booster is offered from 75 plus care home residents and immunosuppressed individuals.
I am 70 and get a free flu jab. Why am I not offered the COVID booster?
The two programmes use different risk assessments. The JCVI advises the COVID booster for the autumn 2026 campaign only for those aged 75 and over, care home residents for older adults, and immunosuppressed individuals. The flu programme has broader cohorts, including everyone aged 65 and over and adults in clinical risk groups.
This article is general information and does not replace personalised medical advice. If you have questions about your own eligibility, speak to your GP surgery or pharmacist.
Sources: Department of Health and Social Care, “Advice accepted on autumn 2026 COVID-19 vaccination programme” (23 March 2026); Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, advice on COVID-19 vaccination for autumn 2026 (16 July 2025); UK Health Security Agency, “Who’s eligible for the 2026 COVID-19 vaccine, or ‘Autumn Booster’?” (9 September 2026); UKHSA, Immunisation against infectious disease: the Green Book, COVID-19 chapter.