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Covid vaccine for under 75

(147 Posts)
LindyB Thu 16-Oct-25 17:22:03

Hello
I know there has been a post on this subject do forgive me for the repeat. I cannot understand why as a 71 year old I am less at risk from the side effects of Covid than I was last year.
I believe that it is just a cost cutting exercise, as per the following taken from the Gov.uk website
For the development of advice relating to COVID-19 vaccination from autumn 2025, JCVI has resumed the use of a standard cost-effectiveness assessment, in line with other routine vaccinations in the national immunisation programme and the JCVI code of practice.
Maybe the 65-74 year olds are having to contribute to the reinstatement of the winter fuel payment. If it is purely a cost cutting exercise could the 65-74 year olds at least be offered the vaccine at cost price to the NHS, given at the same time as the flu jab instead of line my 76 year olds husband having the flu jab at the doctor then going to the pharmacy for his Covid jab (presumably paid by the NHS) so two visits.
Up until last winter they were practically begging us to have the Covid booster, so what exactly has changed.

yogitree Sat 18-Oct-25 16:33:27

Cressy

Just off track slightly but my husband and I are 70 this month but have been told that because this was after the 1 September we have to wait until next year when we will be nearly 71! Any yet 65yr olds can get it now 🤷‍♀️

I had this problem with the shingles vaccine.

IOMGran Sat 18-Oct-25 16:38:44

For information, the JCVI use a monetary value for each year of healthy quality life.

QALY stands for Quality-Adjusted Life Year.
It’s a way of combining both:

How long someone lives, and

How good their health is during that time.

Each year of life is given a quality score between 0 and 1:

1.0 = perfect health

0.5 = health rated as “half as good” as perfect (e.g., serious illness)

0 = death

So:

Living 1 year in perfect health = 1 QALY

Living 2 years at 0.5 quality = 1 QALY

Living 5 years at 0.8 quality = 4 QALYs

It’s a standard metric used in healthcare economics to compare the health benefit of different treatments or policies.

That means:

If a treatment costs £10,000 and provides 1 QALY, → £10,000 per QALY → cost-effective.

If it costs £100,000 for 1 QALY, → £100,000 per QALY → not cost-effective.

There’s some flexibility:

Below £20k/QALY → usually recommended.

Between £20k–£30k/QALY → considered carefully.

Above £30k/QALY → rarely approved unless strong justification (e.g., very severe disease, children, end-of-life).

So the bottom line is a year of your health is worth circa £20K to our caring government.

StripeyGran Sat 18-Oct-25 16:44:30

IOM
I had something very unpleasant a few weeks ago. Was it Covid? I don't know.
How can we just keep on and on with jabs?
Are we better to stick it out?
Really Im not sure.

Rosie51 Sat 18-Oct-25 16:45:13

COVID-19 vaccines have limited to no effectiveness against infection, COVID-19 is relatively common and may manifest as a mild illness for most individuals. Consequently, many people who are hospitalised or who die during a period when SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in the community may have a concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection that may not be the primary cause of their serious illness.

From your post at 10.37 PaynesGrey my bolding. If the vaccines have limited to no protection against infection why are they being given at all? I may be being thick but it doesn't make sense to me.
I'm not eligible for a free booster and I'm not paying £100 for something that might provide no protection against Covid. I've had it 3 times, once absolutely symptomless, once moderately bad and once like a bad cold. It does feel very odd though to go from "you really must have a booster every six months" to "you really don't need any more vaccinations at all"

Skitterbug Sat 18-Oct-25 16:52:08

Oh boy. You must be listening to Secretary Kennedy in the US. He's doing everything he can to make us all sick.

Jojo1950 Sat 18-Oct-25 16:55:16

I had covid in July and ended up in hospital a week later for three. I thought I was dying! I still don’t remember much. So have the jab. Ours booked end of the month.

MayBee70 Sat 18-Oct-25 16:56:12

Skitterbug

Oh boy. You must be listening to Secretary Kennedy in the US. He's doing everything he can to make us all sick.

And yet Trump, who appointed an anti vacc’er in the role, has just had his flu and covid vaccines…

PaynesGrey Sat 18-Oct-25 16:57:24

Indeed but there’s no age analysis in there. There was a similar spike in September 2024 which dropped away. It could have been student-driven.

Pagel is a mathematician. I’m more inclined to be guided by the chair of the sub committee of the JCVI who is a consultant respiratory physician and honorary professor of medicine (and his team) as well as longitudinal data about who is most vulnerable. That's the 80 and over demographic - 40% of whom did not bother to get vaccinated in Spring.

Now there’s an argument. Has the DHSC procured enough to vaccinate all of the the oldest demographic? If so, can the people a bit younger who would like to be vaccinated make use of what’s left?

IOMGran Sat 18-Oct-25 17:07:27

PaynesGrey

Indeed but there’s no age analysis in there. There was a similar spike in September 2024 which dropped away. It could have been student-driven.

Pagel is a mathematician. I’m more inclined to be guided by the chair of the sub committee of the JCVI who is a consultant respiratory physician and honorary professor of medicine (and his team) as well as longitudinal data about who is most vulnerable. That's the 80 and over demographic - 40% of whom did not bother to get vaccinated in Spring.

Now there’s an argument. Has the DHSC procured enough to vaccinate all of the the oldest demographic? If so, can the people a bit younger who would like to be vaccinated make use of what’s left?

That would be far too sensible.

IOMGran Sat 18-Oct-25 17:08:17

StripeyGran

IOM
I had something very unpleasant a few weeks ago. Was it Covid? I don't know.
How can we just keep on and on with jabs?
Are we better to stick it out?
Really Im not sure.

You could say similar for wearing seat belts.

Deepat Sat 18-Oct-25 17:08:19

Calendargirl

When the Covid vaccine was being offered to the majority, many people (some here on GN) declared they wouldn’t be having it, they had already had 6……etc etc.

Now it’s being restricted, there is a huge outcry.

Everyone wants it.

🤔

Not me...I stopped at 3 and that eas 3 too many, they made me worst than the times I had covid!

PaynesGrey Sat 18-Oct-25 17:08:32

Rosie51

^COVID-19 vaccines have limited to no effectiveness against infection, COVID-19 is relatively common and may manifest as a mild illness for most individuals. Consequently, many people who are hospitalised or who die during a period when SARS-CoV-2 is circulating in the community may have a concurrent SARS-CoV-2 infection that may not be the primary cause of their serious illness.^

From your post at 10.37 PaynesGrey my bolding. If the vaccines have limited to no protection against infection why are they being given at all? I may be being thick but it doesn't make sense to me.
I'm not eligible for a free booster and I'm not paying £100 for something that might provide no protection against Covid. I've had it 3 times, once absolutely symptomless, once moderately bad and once like a bad cold. It does feel very odd though to go from "you really must have a booster every six months" to "you really don't need any more vaccinations at all"

You need to read the whole thread and where I posted about there being already-procured stock for last year's programme.

Vaccines work by training the immune system to recognise infection, to mount an immune response and to minimise the effects of the infection. The vaccine cannot stop you catching Covid.

Built immunity whether through past vaccination or infection should still give people a good measure of protection from the Omicron strain.

JCVI consider that only those age 80 or older or otherwise immuno-compromised need that extra boost from a further vaccine - those most at risk of being hospitalised.

PaynesGrey Sat 18-Oct-25 17:22:28

On whether to keep having vaccinations?

It comes back to one’s immune system being able to recognise a Covid infection as soon as it enters the body so that it can trigger an immune response and minimise the effects.

If we have developed immunity through past vaccination and/or infection then the immune system will have a better chance of reducing the effect of a new infection.

Contrast the time before we had a vaccination against Covid. The immune system recognised that something alien had entered the body but didn’t know where or how to direct a response. So it went into overdrive. That’s why people had cytokine storms and suffered multiple organ faliure.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cytokine_storm

It's why biologics were being used in treating Covid patients in those early waves. They are powerful drugs which suppress the immune system preventing it from triggering a hyperinflammatory state. Anyone who suffers from RA, Crohn's, UC or other inflammatory conditions will know about those and how they work.

Our immune systems do weaken with age, are less able to recognise and fight infection, less able to recognise mutant blood cells produced by our bone marrow and why the risk of cancer increases with age.

So yes we do need to boost out immune systems whether through a healthy lifestyle and diet or through vaccinations for the very elderly or those immuno-compromised for some other reason.

Laurensnan Sat 18-Oct-25 17:39:44

PaynesGrey Thank you for the information. 👍

StripeyGran Sat 18-Oct-25 17:42:00

IOMGran

StripeyGran

IOM
I had something very unpleasant a few weeks ago. Was it Covid? I don't know.
How can we just keep on and on with jabs?
Are we better to stick it out?
Really Im not sure.

You could say similar for wearing seat belts.

No I'm sorry that doesn't work. If I wear a seat belt I may " suffer" from a little digging in of the belt. A tiny problem. I will help myself and others.

If I continue to have vaccinations and boost and boost I may be causing problems.

IOMGran Sat 18-Oct-25 17:48:20

I have a minor sore arm after a flu or covid vaccination, once of twice a year. I have to wear a seat belt every time I travel in a car. I actually don't really care if you vaccinate or wear a seat belt. I want choice for those of us who want to use this prophylactic.

RinseAndRepeat Sat 18-Oct-25 18:07:15

Recent information on changes to the US COVID booster scheme.

‘ Moving forward, the FDA will adopt the following Covid-19 vaccination regulatory framework: On the basis of immunogenicity — proof that a vaccine can generate antibody titers in people — the FDA anticipates that it will be able to make favorable benefit–risk findings for adults over the age of 65 years and for all persons above the age of 6 months with one or more risk factors that put them at high risk for severe Covid-19 outcomes, as described by the CDC (Figure 2). For all healthy persons — those with no risk factors for severe Covid-19 — between the ages of 6 months and 64 years, the FDA anticipates the need for randomized, controlled trial data evaluating clinical outcomes before Biologics License Applications can be granted.’

In sum, the UK is now an outlier when it comes to an annual COVID Booster jabs for the over 65s (compared to France; Canada and the US).

Edit: Germany and Ireland are now recommending an annual COVID Booster jab for the over 60s.

FranP Sat 18-Oct-25 18:10:36

Not only have they upped the age, but have removed vulnerable groups like those with COPD and diabetes from the eligible list.

LesLee7 Sat 18-Oct-25 18:31:41

Well said Trisha. We're bad enough in UK but now feel sorry for Americans with Kennedy in charge of health

LesLee7 Sat 18-Oct-25 18:41:14

Since I heard who would (and wouldn't) get the covid jab this year I have said I think it's a cost cutting exercise. They didn't get rid of enough pensioners taking away the Winter Fuel Payment so maybe hope to get rid of a few more from covid. I know we have to live with it but it already spreading and more people are in hospital at the moment. Like another poster I've just been diagnosed with COPD (early emphesma) so the last thing I want is a respiratory disease. I've had a flu jab every year since 1974 when I started work (they gave us them) and until old enough to be entitled to a free one used to pay at the chemist. Thankfully I've never had flu. I would pay for a covid jab but hard to find somewhere round here to get one and they seem to be making money out of it. I think it's very short sighted and if we have a bad year it will cost the NHS more. I think it's awful that medical staff and carers won't get it either. I would just hope that people who do feel ill stay in... so they don't spread it but there are always some who don't care and happily go spreading it about.
By the way my Cousin is in Oz. Covid has been bad there this Winter and often it's a forecast of what we get.

StripeyGran Sat 18-Oct-25 18:45:08

IOMGran

I have a minor sore arm after a flu or covid vaccination, once of twice a year. I have to wear a seat belt every time I travel in a car. I actually don't really care if you vaccinate or wear a seat belt. I want choice for those of us who want to use this prophylactic.

I'm sorry you don't care. I think it's very important to wear a seat belt.

Best of luck with your health going forward.

mistymitts Sat 18-Oct-25 18:47:11

I am a carer for my husband who has MND. We are both just under 70 years and don’t qualify for Covid Jab but do for the flu. The last two weeks we have been feeling ill, think it was flu, it wasn’t, it was Covid. This will also be the first time we have each caught it.This strain leaves you incredibly fatigued and washed out, I am still finding it very hard to physically care for my husband due to complete lack of energy. Carers have had to be called in on an ad hoc urgent care basis, so at what cost=to the NHS. Seems like short sighted cost cutting(or not, in our case!)

MadeInYorkshire Sat 18-Oct-25 19:20:58

Deepat

Calendargirl

When the Covid vaccine was being offered to the majority, many people (some here on GN) declared they wouldn’t be having it, they had already had 6……etc etc.

Now it’s being restricted, there is a huge outcry.

Everyone wants it.

🤔

Not me...I stopped at 3 and that eas 3 too many, they made me worst than the times I had covid!

Me neither! I'm 'Clinically Extremely Vulnerable' and wouldn't touch it with a bargepole!!

This WILL be controversial, & no doubt reported & deleted BUT if it saves just one person, then I'll be happy.

If you have to be persuaded, reminded, pressured, lied to, incentivised (look at what was offered in the article below!), coerced, bullied, socially shamed, guilt tripped, threatened, punished, fined and criminalised; if all of this is considered necessary, to gain your compliance, you can be absolutely certain that what is being promoted, is not in your best interests!

www.independent.co.uk/news/world/covid-vaccine-incentives-cows-condos-b1868385.html

A poll of 2,070 people 18 months ago asked "Do you know someone who died suddenly in the last year? Or someone you know diagnosed with cancer?"
Almost 83% said they did; 38.6% said 2-3 people, and 19.5% said that they knew 4 or more. A small internet sample I know, but to me it says something. There also appears to be a great many people that are dying well before their time 'should' be up (particularly young, fit males like footballers, athletes, tennis players, cricketers etc. This is because whilst they are putting strain on their bodies, the clots the vaccine causes, move around the body and eventually go into the heart. A Funeral Director called John O'Looney has been reporting on excess deaths he is seeing since 2022. You can find him on YouTube.

Why the WhatsApp messages between Hancock and Poole haven't been investigated is disgusting - but then they all stick together in corrupt Westminster. It is impossible to 'deploy' anything, unless you have it in your possession, by definition - which from this message, appears that they did. They had parties because they KNEW THE SCIENCE, and that they had nothing to fear.

There is also growing evidence that they are causing cancer. Look up what Professor Angus Dalgleish (Professor of Oncology at St Georges Hospital London) has to say about them ...

Menopauselbitch Sat 18-Oct-25 19:37:28

angie121

OMG are you serious???? is there a single person in here stupid and naive enough to even think about taking that corrupt poison? from day one i refused to have it refused to wear a mask "anywhere" because i knew it was a con job to manipulate us i was refused entry in shops but most of them turned a blind eye when i wasnt masked up dr faucci is an evil man

Bravo

alisonsmith4 Sat 18-Oct-25 19:41:11

When exactly did these vaccine deniers get their degree in immunology that make them such experts? My son is a hospital doctor and has to pick up the consequences of these ill informed gullible people who love all these conspiracy theories.