COVID-19 spring vaccination programme 2026 (WHC/2025/052)

Issue date:

15 January 2026.

Status:

Compliance / action.

Category:

Public health.

Title:

COVID-19 spring vaccination programme 2026.

Date of expiry / review:

Non-applicable.

Action by:

• Chief executives, health boards or trusts.
• Immunisation leads, health boards or trusts.
• Immunisation coordinators, health boards.
• Vaccination operational leads, health boards or trusts.
• COVID-19 vaccination leads, health boards or trusts.
• Medical directors, health boards or trusts.
• Directors of primary care, health boards or trusts.
• Nurse executive directors, health boards or trusts.
• Chief pharmacists, health boards or trusts.
• Directors of public health, health boards or trusts.
• Executive Director of Public Health, Public Health Wales.
• Head Vaccine Preventable Disease Programme, Public Health Wales.
• Director of Vaccination Delivery, Vaccination Programme Wales, NHS Wales Performance and Improvement.
• Community Pharmacy Wales.
• General Practitioner Council, Wales.
• General practitioners.
• Community pharmacists.

Required by:

Non-applicable.

Sender:

Dr Keith Reid, Deputy Chief Medical Officer (Public Health).

Welsh Government contacts:

Vaccination Division,
Welsh Government,
Cathays Park,
Cardiff.
CF10 3NQ.
Email: wg.vaccinationsprogrammeteam@gov.wales

Enclosures:

None.

Dear colleagues

This letter is aimed at health professionals who are responsible for commissioning and delivering the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Wales. We encourage you to share this guidance with all those involved in delivering the programme in your area.

The Welsh Government has accepted the latest advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which has advised a spring COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to our most vulnerable citizens in 2026.

The primary aim of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is the prevention of severe COVID-19 disease (hospitalisation and mortality).

Eligible cohorts

The JCVI advise that a COVID-19 vaccination should be offered to:

• adults aged 75 years and over
• residents in a care home for older adults
• individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed (as defined in tables 3 and 4 in COVID-19: the green book chapter)

This vaccination should be offered around 6 months after the last vaccine dose, although operational flexibility around the timing of the spring dose in relation to the last vaccine dose is considered appropriate (with a minimum interval of three months between doses). More information on operational flexibility will be provided in COVID-19: the green book chapter.

Programme start and end date

The COVID-19 spring programme will run between 13 April and 30 June 2026. There will be some limited flexibility into July for those who are unable to receive a vaccination within the main programme window due to illness.

Vaccine supply

The vaccine products to be used in the spring programme 2026 will be set out in COVID-19: the green book chapter alongside clinical advice on their use.

Programme ambitions: maximising uptake and ensuring equity

Health boards are expected to continue to maximise vaccine uptake, minimise vaccine waste and retain their focus on reaching the most vulnerable. It is important that health boards understand and address inequity by ensuring access for all eligible people. For older people, the expectation is that health boards provide clear information on the vaccine and ensure local access to receive a vaccination at a convenient time and place. Taking up a vaccination should be as accessible as possible and health boards should be ambitious in undertaking activity that minimises patient burden (including travel burden) as much as possible.

With this in mind, we expect:

1. all those eligible for a spring COVID-19 vaccination to receive a written invitation for vaccination
2. health boards should make every effort to maximise uptake across all cohorts ensuring:
   i. uptake levels are maintained or improved ^{[footnote 1]} for those over 75 years of age and those resident in a care home for older adults and that every effort is made to achieve 75% uptake for these cohorts
   ii. all possible interventions which could improve uptake ^{[footnote 1]} for the immunosuppressed cohort are explored and acted on including removing any barriers to vaccination
   iii. the gap is reduced between uptake rates ^{[footnote 1]} in the least and most deprived areas of the health board

We expect local systems to develop robust delivery plans and closely monitor progress to achieve high levels of coverage. Where trajectories towards those outlined above under point 2 are not being achieved, we expect remedial action to be taken to address this.

When planning for improved uptake of vaccination, local health boards should draw on experience of successful initiatives from across Wales that have demonstrated impact and seek to incorporate lessons learnt. We encourage the use of existing vaccination forums to facilitate the sharing of information on good practice to support this planning round.

I am conscious that planning for this programme will be undertaken by teams who are still delivering the 2025 to 2026 national influenza immunisation programme and 2025 autumn COVID-19 vaccination programme. Your hard work in making these programmes a success is very much appreciated.

Yours sincerely,

Dr Keith Reid
Deputy Chief Medical Officer (Public Health)

[1]. Compared to the 2025 spring programme.