Care home residents in England will be the first to receive their jabs as the spring Covid jab campaign for vulnerable people gets under way today.

Around five million people will be eligible for a spring Covid jab, including the over 75s, those with a weakened immune system and older adult care home residents.

This latest vaccination is being offered to those considered most at risk following advice from the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation.

There will be around 3,000 sites across England, with the majority of appointments being delivered in communities by pharmacies and GPs.

The last spring vaccination appointments will be offered on 30 June.

After 30 June, the NHS offer will become more targeted to those at increased risk, usually during seasonal campaigns.

Steve Barclay, secretary of state for health and social care, said: “Our successful vaccination programme has helped us all to live with Covid, saved thousands of lives and protected the most vulnerable from serious disease.”

NHS director of vaccinations and screening, Steve Russell, said: “There are still around 8,000 people in hospital with Covid according to the latest data, and the NHS has now treated more than one million Covid inpatients since the pandemic began.”

Dr Mary Ramsay, director of immunisation at the UK Health Security Agency, said: “Covid-19 is still circulating widely, and older people are still at greatest risk of more severe illness and being hospitalised.

“Those with weakened immune systems are also vulnerable so it is important everyone who is eligible comes forward for a spring booster to top up their immunity against what is still a serious virus.”

Routine Covid-19 testing for care homes was scrapped this month as part of the government’s ‘living with Covid strategy’.