The government has confirmed who will be offered a Covid-19 vaccination in spring 2027, according to Nursing in Practice. The programme will cover adults aged 75 and above, immunosuppressed people from the age of six months, and people living in care homes for older adults.
The eligible groups are the same as those used in the most recent spring Covid-19 campaign, the outlet reported. Officials have kept the focus on people considered most likely to become seriously unwell from the virus.
The announcement follows guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the expert body that advises the government on vaccine schedules. Nursing in Practice reported that the decision was made on the back of that advice.
Why it matters
The spring programme is a targeted one rather than a universal offer. By holding eligibility steady, the government is signalling that it sees the main benefit of vaccination as protection for a defined group at higher risk, not the wider population.
For practice nurses, pharmacists and care home staff, the confirmation gives them a settled list to plan around ahead of the campaign. It also settles a question that comes up every year for patients who fall just outside the criteria.
Dame Diana Johnson, the public health and patient safety minister, set out the reasoning behind the decision. She said older adults and immunosuppressed people continue to face a greater risk from Covid-19, according to Nursing in Practice.
She said the government would follow the JCVI's expert advice and offer vaccinations to those at highest risk in spring 2027. Dame Diana also urged everyone who is eligible to take up the offer, describing vaccination as the best way to guard against serious illness.
The three groups in line for a spring dose
The first group is adults who have reached their 75th birthday by the time the campaign runs. The second is people with weakened immune systems, and this group is defined unusually broadly: it starts at six months of age rather than in adulthood. The third is residents of care homes that look after older adults.
Nursing in Practice reported that this matches the eligibility used in the previous spring Covid-19 programme. That continuity means clinicians and care providers who ran earlier campaigns will be working from a familiar set of criteria.
The confirmation was picked up across the pharmacy and nursing press, with Pharmacy Business, The Pharmacist and Punch Newspapers among the outlets carrying reports on the eligible groups. The Daily Express framed the story around pensioners over 75, reflecting the age threshold at the centre of the programme.
Uptake is the open question
Announcing who can have a jab is one thing; getting them to accept it is another. Nursing in Practice noted that its own podcast recently examined a fall in the number of patients wanting the Covid vaccine. The episode featured senior reporter Gee Harland alongside general practice nurses Abigail Houlbrooke and Coral Harvey.
That discussion points to a practical challenge for the coming campaign. Even with a clear and stable eligibility list, the programme's reach will depend on how many of those invited actually come forward. Practice teams have spent recent seasons dealing with patient questions and, in some cases, reluctance.
For care home residents, delivery depends on coordination between homes and local health teams rather than on individual patients booking appointments. For immunosuppressed people, the starting age of six months means parents and carers of very young children with compromised immune systems will also be looking for guidance on where and when to arrange vaccination.
The government has not, in the reporting summarised here, set out start dates for the spring 2027 campaign or detailed how invitations will be issued. Those operational specifics will matter to the teams who have to schedule clinics and to the families deciding whether to take up the offer.
Watch for the NHS to publish operational guidance and timings for the spring 2027 rollout, and for uptake figures once the campaign is under way.
