Question
Can you provide any helpful information, so I can make an informed decision about the 2025 Spring Covid Booster vaccination?
Answer
Covid vaccines – Spring boosters: Who is eligible?
The NHS has announced details of who is eligible for a Spring Covid vaccine booster
The three key eligibility criteria are:
- Age 75 or over
- Living in a care home
- Being immunosuppressed as defined in the NHS Green Book:
Immunosuppression due to disease or treatment, including:
- those undergoing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, solid organ transplant recipients, bone marrow or stem cell transplant recipients
- genetic disorders affecting the immune system (e.g. deficiencies of IRAK-4 or NEMO, complement disorder, SCID)
- those with haematological malignancy, including leukaemia and lymphoma
- those receiving immunosuppressive or immunomodulating biological therapy
- those treated with or likely to be treated with high or moderate dose corticosteroids
- those receiving any dose of non-biological oral immune modulating drugs e.g. methotrexate, azathioprine, 6-mercaptopurine or mycophenolate
- those with auto-immune diseases who may require long term immunosuppressive treatments
Although there is evidence of immune system dysfunction in ME/CFS, it is not normally classified as an immunosuppression disease – although there may be individual situations where a doctor will agree to this classification.
The following BBC article also includes information on the option of paying for a vaccination.
Should I have a Spring Covid Booster?
Before deciding if you want to have an NHS (if eligible) or private Spring Covid Booster it's important to take note of the pros and cons of having this vaccine:
On the positive side, vaccination is likely to produce a significant degree of protection against catching Covid-19 over the coming 6 to 12 months (especially if you have had all the previous Covid vaccines). We know that people with ME/CFS who catch Covid are (as with any other infection) at increased risk of having an exacerbation or relapse of their ME/CFS especially if they are severely or very severely affected.
On the other hand, we know that a small but significant number of people with ME/CFS have experienced an adverse reaction to a Covid vaccine – sometimes severe and persistent – and/or an exacerbation/relapse of their ME/CFS. In this situation deciding to go ahead and have another vaccination is obviously going to be a difficult decision to make.
On a personal basis I had 4 Covid vaccinations without any problems. I had the Pfizer Autumn Booster in 2022 which was followed by a fairly severe adverse reaction – a red swollen leg that was the result of a vasculitis – and a prolonged period of relapse.
Having had 4 vaccinations without any problem I still decided to go ahead in 2023 and have an autumn booster but not with the Pfizer vaccine. This was given at the special hospital vaccination clinic and without any further adverse reaction. I was not able to obtain a non Pfizer or Moderna option last year – so did not have an autumn booster.
It is apparent from the large amount of feedback that we receive on Covid-19 vaccinations that adverse reactions are very mixed and unpredictable, and that no clear yes/no recommendation can be made in regard to ME/CFS. Therefore, the decision has to be a personal decision based on the information we currently have
Dr Charles Shepherd,
Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association,
Member of the 2018-2021 NICE guideline on ME/CFS committee,
Member of the 2002 Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on ME/CFS
More Information:
See Also: Vaccinations: Autumn Covid Booster 2023, Vaccinations: Covid-19, Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme, Long Covid: Vaccinations
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MEDICAL DISCLAIMER
We recommend that the medical information is discussed with your doctor. It is not intended to be a substitute for personalised medical advice or treatment. You should consult your doctor whenever a new symptom arises, or an existing symptom worsens. It is important to obtain medical advice that considers other causes and possible treatments. Do not assume that new or worsened symptoms are solely because of ME/CFS or Long Covid.