Individuals become eligible for routine vaccination against shingles when they become 70 years of age and for those in the catch-up cohort, if they are 78 or 79 years of age. All eligible individuals retain eligibility to receive the shingles vaccine until they become 80 years of age. As lockdown and shielding measures are easing, this a reminder that the shingles vaccine can be offered opportunistically to the cohorts outlined above. Shingles vaccination as part of the routine immunisation programme is covered under the national PHE PGD and may be administered at the same time as the pneumococcal vaccine (Pneumovax 23) and when available, inactivated influenza vaccines.
Some individuals who were eligible for the Shingles (catch-up) vaccination programme may have turned 80 years during the COVID-19 pandemic and missed the opportunity to be vaccinated, either due to lockdown or because they were shielding at home and unable to attend their general practice. This cohort of individuals is likely to be very small and can still be offered shingles vaccine unless contraindicated, up to the 31 December 2020. This temporary offer applies only to those who missed shingles vaccination because they were shielding and who turned 80 years of age during that period. It is only applicable to periods of time when lockdown or shielding was recommended. Payment for this should be at the same rate as other shingles vaccines and will be managed by local commissioners. As this cohort will not be included in the Shingles PGD, a Patient Specific Direction (PSD) should be used by practices for this specific cohort of patients.
Visit https://www.healthpublications.gov.uk/Home.html to see the Shingles leaflets, posters, postcards available to order now.