Key developments in 2022

In March 2022 a booster dose was offered to all those over 75 years of age and people who were clinically vulnerable, and subsequently a third dose of vaccine was made available to most people including children over the age of five years.

There has been recent concern about recurrent infections in many people due to sub-variants of the omicron variant. These can occur within only a few months of a previous infection but thankfully, for many people, the symptoms are relatively mild. Although symptoms might be mild, however, each infection brings a risk of developing long Covid.

It is still unclear to what extent the SARS-COV-2 virus may mutate further, escape protection from vaccination and cause a further wave of more severe infections. Such concerns about ‘immune escape’ with more severe infections, and that co-infection with flu may cause serious problems, led to the Government, in July 2022, advising that all people over 50 years of age, and those who are clinically vulnerable, be offered a further booster immunisation, alongside flu jabs (see later) starting in September 2022. 

The MHRA recently approved bivalent booster vaccines from both Moderna and Pfizer, which target both the original virus and omicron variant.

Another important change in 2022 is the availability of antiviral treatment for high-risk patients in the community who do not need to be hospitalised. You may be asked by patients or a family member about how arrangements work for accessing antivirals via Covid-19 medicine delivery units (CMDUs). Most of the highest risk patients should have received a letter or email telling them they may be eligible for these treatments if they test positive for Covid-19. They should also keep some lateral flow tests at home. Treatment needs to be started within five days of symptom onset. See below for further information. Neutralising monoclonal antibodies (nMABs) are also available on the NHS for the highest risk patients.