Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination

You can get a 1st and 2nd dose of the COVID-19 vaccine from a walk-in site if you are aged 5 years old or over, and turned 5 on or before 31 August 2022.

Children who turned 5 on or after 1 September 2022 can only get a 1st and 2nd dose of a COVID-19 vaccine if they're either:

• at high risk due to a health condition or because of a weakened immune system
• living with someone who has a weakened immune system

When you can book a 2nd dose

You should be able to book a 2nd dose on the day after your 1st dose. If you or your child are:

• 18 years old or over - you'll be offered 2nd dose appointments from 8 weeks (56 days) after your 1st dose
• under 18 years old - you'll be offered 2nd dose appointments from 12 weeks (84 days) after your 1st dose.

How to get an earlier 2nd dose if you're under 18 years old and at-risk

• If you or your child are under 18 years old and at high risk from COVID-19, you're eligible for a 2nd dose from 8 weeks after your 1st dose.

However, this service will only offer you appointments from 12 weeks after your 1st dose.

To get your 2nd dose from 8 weeks, please either:

• contact your GP surgery
• go to a walk-in site with a letter from a GP that says you're eligible for a 2nd dose from 8 weeks after your 1st dose

Advice for children aged 5 to 15 years old and their parents or guardians

A set of resources are available on GOV.UK in a variety of languages, Braille and Easy Read.

These resources are to help children, young people and their parents or guardians make a decision about whether to get vaccinated:

• GOV.UK: COVID-19 vaccination resources for children aged 5 to 11 years old
• GOV.UK: COVID-19 vaccination resources for children and young people aged 12 to 17 years old

Consent to treatment is an important part of the process and staff at the vaccination site will ask for consent before giving the vaccine.

1st booster

A 1st booster can be booked online if you or your child have completed your primary COVID-19 vaccination course (1st and 2nd dose, plus an additional primary dose if you have a severely weakened immune system) and are either:

• aged 16 years old or over
• aged 12 to 15 years old with a condition that means they're at high risk from COVID-19

The appointment dates you'll be offered will start from 3 months (91 days) after your 2nd dose.

Seasonal boosters

A seasonal booster (autumn booster) can be booked online for anyone who is:

• aged 50 or over
• pregnant
• aged 5 and over and at high risk due to a health condition
• aged 5 and over and at high risk because of a weakened immune system
• aged 16 and over and lives with someone who has a weakened immune system
• aged 16 and over and is a carer, either paid or unpaid
• a frontline health and social care worker

The appointment dates you'll be offered will start from 3 months (91 days) after your previous dose.

Children aged 5 to 15

You cannot book seasonal booster (autumn booster) appointments for some children aged 5 to 15 years old online, including for those who live with someone with a weakened immune system.

You need to go to a walk-in vaccination site or book an appointment at a GP surgery.

Advice for children aged 12 to 15 years old and their parents or guardians

A set of COVID-19 vaccination resources for children and young people are available on GOV.UK in a variety of languages, Braille and Easy Read. These resources are to help children, young people and their parents or guardians make a decision about whether to get vaccinated.

There's also a list of pre-screening questions on GOV.UK to help you and your child consider what is likely to be asked at your appointment. You do not need to complete this before you go.

Consent to treatment is an important part of the process. A consent form is available on GOV.UK to help you and your child discuss this decision, but you do not need to print or bring the form with you. Staff at the vaccination site will ask for consent before giving the vaccine.

Who needs this dose?

People who had a severely weakened immune system when they had their 1st or 2nd dose will be offered an additional primary dose (3rd dose) before their booster.

You can use this service to book an additional primary dose for people with a severely weakened immune system aged 5 years old or over.

Read more about the COVID-19 vaccine for people with a weakened immune system.

Things you'll need to bring

Someone at the site will talk to you and check your evidence to make sure you or your child are eligible.

Examples of things you can bring to show you're eligible include:

• a letter from your GP or hospital specialist inviting you to get the 3rd dose for people with a severely weakened immune system
• a hospital letter that describes the condition or treatment that caused you to have a severely weakened immune system at the time of your 1st or 2nd dose
• a prescription or a medicine box with your name and the date showing when the medicine was prescribed - this must show that you had a severely weakened immune system at the time of your 1st or 2nd dose

When you can book an additional primary dose (3rd dose)

You'll be able to book an additional primary dose (3rd dose) when it’s been 26 days since your 2nd dose.

The appointment dates you'll be offered will start from 8 weeks (56 days) after your 2nd dose.

Advice for children aged 5 to 15 years old and their parents or guardians

A set of resources are available on GOV.UK in a variety of languages, Braille and Easy Read.

These resources are to help children, young people and their parents or guardians make a decision about whether to get vaccinated:

• GOV.UK: COVID-19 vaccination resources for children aged 5 to 11 years old
• GOV.UK: COVID-19 vaccination resources for children and young people aged 12 to 17 years old

Consent to treatment is an important part of the process and staff at the vaccination site will ask for consent before giving the vaccine.

If you or your child have tested positive for COVID-19, you need to wait a number of weeks before having the vaccine. You need to wait:

• 4 weeks (28 days) if you're aged 18 years old or over
• 12 weeks (84 days) if you or your child are aged 5 to 17 years old
• 4 weeks (28 days) if you or your child are aged 5 to 17 years old and at high risk from COVID-19, or live with someone who has a weakened immune system

This starts from the date that symptoms started, or the date of the positive test result, whichever was earlier.

If you or your child have symptoms of COVID-19, but have not had a test, wait until the symptoms are better to get a COVID-19 vaccine. You can talk to a healthcare professional at the site about this.