Covid vaccine: Wales to offer booster to over-40s

Advice to roll out Covid jab boosters to the over-40s and offer a second dose to 16 and 17-year-olds has been accepted by the Welsh government.

It is hoped the changes will top-up people's protection and limit the spread of the virus during winter.

UK advisers said people aged 40-49 should be offered a booster at least six months after their last jab.

Wales' Health Minister Eluned Morgan said the government would work with the NHS "to take this advice forward".

Boosters are already being offered to people over the age of 50, frontline NHS and social care staff and people who are extremely vulnerable to Covid.

Latest figures show 626,012 people have had a booster vaccine.

The most recent seven-day figures show 482.1 people per 100,000 have tested positive for Covid, slightly up from 470.5 on 9 November.

Results of a recent study by the UK Health Security Agency found that three doses cut the risk of infection by more than 9p3%.

People aged 40-49 will be given either the Pfizer-BioNTech jab or a half dose of the Moderna vaccine.

Those aged 16-17 should get a second dose of Pfizer 12 weeks or more following the first dose, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) added.

The advice of the JCVI has to be formally approved by the UK government, as well as the governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.