Are people getting covid boosters before 6 months has elapsed?

[Jng1]

I know you can book after 5 months and when I tried this I was given dates 6 months after my 2nd jab (so 1st Dec as 2nd jab was 1st June). Due to work diary I can't actually go until 8th Dec though so have booked that.

However there are walk in clinics near us which are primarily for flu jabs but are also offering boosters. Some friends went on Friday and got their jabs, but it was 1-2 weeks early i.e. before the 6 month mark.

Has the guidance/ eligibility changed? Shall I just go to a walk in clinic and hope to get it? I have lots of social things at the end of November and I'd prefer to have had the booster. I've already had my flub jab.

Interested to hear the answer to this, too! I booked my booster for the earliest date the system let me, which is 29th Nov when my second dose was 3rd June. Not sure if I should cancel and rebook since this is less than 182 days.

We are doing them under 6 months where I vaccinate. This was a change from the previous week.

@Cookerhood

We are doing them under 6 months where I vaccinate. This was a change from the previous week.

That's interesting. That's more or less what my friend who got hers said i.e. "I don't think they care too much, they just want to get jabs in arms at approximately the right time!"

They were really strict at the vaccine bus I went to last week. Went along the line telling people that they couldn't have a booster if they hadn't had their 2nd jab before a particular date.

On Saturday they were very strict. Had to be exactly 182 days. I was on exactly that fortunately.

I'm in category six and my second dose was 3rd June.

On the day that it became possible I booked the booster for 29th November, which is 179 or 180 days later.

But now I have had a text from the hospital where I had the earlier shot, inviting me to book a booster. And the dates they allow me to book start on Saturday 20th November, so 170 days.

Have they definitely relaxed the requirement and are now allowing boosters before 182 days? I was wondering if I needed to rebook a later date than the 29th, not that I'd be offered earlier than that even.

This is in central London by the way.

I think it will vary by centre. We are doing them early on the basis that if someone is there with their sleeve rolled up then we might as well jab them as they may not return. Having said that it could change at the drop of a hat - we used to do vaccinations 3 weeks apart then it suddenly stopped & I believe they were doing under 18s before it was official, but again it stopped. I suspect someone told the lead person they had to follow protocol!

After posting here I've been asking local friends and the consensus so far is that some people are getting it 7-8 days early, but someone was refused it 11 days early!

Around here some people are getting it earlier if they present for their flu jab at the same time and are "nearing six months".

I tried to book my booster early, but wouldn't let me do it. Got it booked now in December, 6 months after my last one.

Yes, bookings are still only offering dates after 6 months, but it seems that walk-in clinics are being a bit more flexible!

I got through to the vaccination centre at a London hospital on the phone and they said if you have received the text from them, they will give you the booster on any dates it lets you book, however early.

So I've been rebooked for 170 days!

I booked mine online using the dates it offered me, but I have just counted the weeks and it's actually 179 not 182 days since my 2nd jab. Presumably they will still honour the appt since they offered it? I would have made it 3 days later if I had known, but I just assumed they would only offer me the correct dates! Now there are no available appts.

I’m wondering if they’ll start to be more flexible as we head towards Christmas? It’s not a safety issue the 6 months is it? And reports say immunity starts to wane from 5 months.

My worry is there’s a lot of people my age (45) who would have had their second dose around end of June therefore you are heading in to Christmas mixing with waning immunity.
And it will be harder to get an appointment over Christmas so people may be forced to wait. Mine is technically due around 19th December.

With cases rises in Europe it seems they are pushing on with boosters as much as possible here. I hope there’s a bit of leeway and they don’t turn people away over the sake of a few days..