Covid: When will teenagers get the jab and do I need a booster?

The government has announced that the Covid vaccine will be offered to 16 and 17-year-olds.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid says he has asked the NHS in England to start preparing "as soon as possible", and the government in Wales says it's now working on the arrangements needed.

The JCVI - the scientific body advising the government on vaccines - says that the Covid vaccine should now be offered to everyone aged 16 and over.

The vaccine has already been approved for over-12s with underlying conditions or those who live with others at high risk, but there are no plans to give it routinely to 12-15-year-olds.

An estimated 88% of adults in the UK have people have now had at least one Covid jab, but many people under 30 are yet to receive theirs.

An estimated third of 18-29-year-olds in England have still to receive a single jab. In Scotland, that figure is about 30%.

In recent weeks, there's also been an appeal for more pregnant women to come forward for the vaccine, after reports than fewer than one in 10 in England has received their first jab.

In England you can book a jab either online or by calling 119. You can also visit a walk-in clinic without an appointment. Check your local health providers and social media groups for details

In Scotland, you can register to get the vaccine on the NHS inform website or by calling 0800 030 8013. Most health boards have drop-in vaccination clinics

In Wales, contact your local health board if you think you have been missed

In Northern Ireland, book online or call 0300 200 7813

In England, the recommended gap between first and second jabs is between 8-12 weeks.

In Scotland the recommended gap is eight weeks between jabs.

In Northern Ireland, the interval is eight weeks.

In Wales, the government says you should be called in for your second dose "within 12 weeks" of the first.

Millions of people most vulnerable to Covid-19 may be offered a third vaccination - along with the annual flu jab - from September.

These include the over-70s, the clinically extremely vulnerable and frontline health and social care workers.

The JCVI says a third booster and flu jab should be offered to adults aged 50 and over, and people aged 16-49 years in an influenza or Covid-19 "at-risk group".

Final plans will be announced by the JCVI before September.

Not for most people, although the government is urging everyone who can have the vaccine to get it.

Vaccinations will be compulsory for staff at care homes in England, and may be extended to include more NHS staff.

Some private companies have also said their staff must be vaccinated.

Being fully vaccinated means that you no longer have to self-isolate after visiting most countries abroad (with the notable exception of France).

Over the coming weeks, fully vaccinated people in England, Scotland and Wales will no longer have to self-isolate if a contact tests positive for Covid (if they themselves can test negative).

By the end of September, full vaccination will also be a condition of entry for getting into nightclubs and some other venues in England.

The UK is using vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNtech, Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Moderna.

People under 40 are being offered Pfizer or Moderna rather than Oxford-AstraZeneca because of concerns about a possible connection with extremely rare cases of blood clots.

But the UK's medicines regulator says the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks for most people.

The most common type of Covid currently in the UK is what's known as the Delta variant.

This is believed to be about 60% more infectious than the previous dominant variant in the UK, the Alpha. It's also thought to be twice as likely to result in hospital admissions.

However, analysis by Public Health England (PHE) shows that two doses of either the Pfizer or AstraZeneca vaccine are highly effective at preventing hospital admissions for infected patients.

Scientists are constantly updating vaccines to target new variants. Oxford researchers have begun to test a new version of the AZ vaccine (targeting the Beta variant first detected in South Africa) in volunteers. Results are expected later this year.

England's chief midwife recently urged pregnant women to get the vaccine.

The Delta variant is causing more serious illness from Covid which means unvaccinated pregnant women and their babies are at risk.

In the last three months alone, 171 pregnant women with Covid needed hospital care. Data has shown that none of them had had both jabs.

More than 55,000 pregnant women across the UK have received at least one dose of the vaccine, with no safety concerns, says NHS England.

A very small number of people have experienced a severe allergic reaction after the Pfizer vaccine.

You should discuss any serious allergies with your healthcare professional before being vaccinated.

Most people will not be affected in any way, although side-effects with all vaccines are possible.

The most common ones include a sore arm, headache, chills, fatigue and nausea.

They are part of the body's normal immune response to vaccines and tend to resolve within a day or two.