Covid and flu vaccination programmes

WQ.393/2025

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES

BY DEPUTY J. RENOUF OF ST. BRELADE

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 20th OCTOBER 2025

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 27th OCTOBER 2025

Question

"In relation to the Covid and flu vaccination programmes for last year and this year to date, will the Minister advise –

1. the number of vaccine doses dispensed in each year;
2. the number, if any, disposed of without being used in each year; and
3. whether consideration is being, or has been, given to offering unused vaccines to other vulnerable groups rather than destroying them; and, if not, why not?"

Answer

It is not possible to provide accurate figures for 2024 and 2025 to questions a) and b) above, as the numbers have been compiled from multiple data sources and they cannot be fully verified.

In addition, the current Covid and Flu vaccination campaigns in 2025 are ongoing and because of a time lag before data is analysed, current figures are likely to be an underestimate.

The data provided in the table below is an estimate of doses administered, and doses unused, along with the number of individuals in the eligible cohorts for each vaccine campaign.

Doses procured

Vaccine doses are centrally procured through the hospital pharmacy to ensure optimal value for money. The number of doses purchased is based on the eligible population, adjusted to take account of previous vaccine uptake. The procurement volume is approved by the Jersey Vaccination Board.  

Persons eligible for vaccine

This is an estimated figure, as an individual may fall under multiple eligibility groups. Vaccine eligibility for COVID and flu campaigns has also changed over the last two years, as set out below, so the groups eligible for vaccines are not directly comparable.

Doses administered

The figures for 2025 are incomplete, as the flu and autumn Covid campaigns are ongoing and there is a time lag in data collection and analysis. The current figures for 2025 are likely to be an underestimate. Multiple providers deliver the vaccinations, GPs, Community Pharmacists, Health and Care Jersey (HCJ) and Public Health. Most vaccines for adults are administered in Primary Care.

Doses unused

The doses unused is the difference between the doses available for use, and the number administered. Unusable stock remaining in the hospital pharmacy will be appropriately disposed of. Unused stock issued to GP practices and pharmacies can theoretically be used for other individuals where this is deemed clinically appropriate but there is currently no data on the outcome for these doses.

Offering vaccine to individuals outside eligibility criteria

Eligibility criteria for vaccination programmes are designed to provide maximum population benefit, taking account of vaccine effectiveness, risk of severe disease, and available funding.

Within the Covid and flu programmes, the vaccine is not routinely offered to those outside the eligibility criteria for the following reasons:

• Peak activity can appear late in the season and the demand for the vaccine can surge unpredictably. The vaccine needs to be available and accessible to those people most in need throughout the whole flu season.

• Flu is a seasonal infection, and the vaccination campaign is timed to reflect this. Vaccines can only be identified as unused', once the campaign and season have concluded or are near to completion.

• The data clearly show a shortfall in uptake among eligible groups. Allowing wider vaccine use would not incentivise providers to address this shortfall.

The amount of unused vaccine is primarily because of a mismatch between the vaccine doses procured and administered by individual providers.

Every effort is being made to promote uptake as a collaboration between all providers and underpinned by a focused communications plan. Complementary vaccine clinics will be offered if uptake does not meet expectations.

Additional information

In Jersey, vaccination programmes are aligned to those in the rest of the British Isles and are delivered in accordance with recommendations from the national Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which recommends vaccines for those most at risk of serious illness and complications.

Jersey officers observe JCVI meetings, where an extensive range of international data is analysed, helping to make recommendations for vaccination policy. Our Jersey Vaccination Board considers the impact of all vaccine preventable diseases when recommending vaccine policy to manage the range of funding requirements.

Eligible cohorts for the Covid and flu vaccination campaigns covering 2024 and 2025 are: Flu vaccines – 2024/25

• People aged 50 or over

• Clinically indicated people, also being aged six months or older, in clinical risk groups as defined by the Green Book

• Pregnant women

• People in receipt of Jersey Social Security Home Carers Allowance benefit

• People in close contact with immunocompromised individuals

• A person cared for in their own home.

• People employed to work in a registered residential care home or as a domiciliary care worker

• Clinical staff and staff with patient contact in GP practices, Pharmacies, Family Nursing and

Home Care and Dental Practices

• A child aged 2, 3 or 4 years

• A child aged 6 months up to 2 years in an at-risk group due to a medical condition.

• Primary school age children (from reception to year 6)

• Secondary School age children (from year 7 to year 11)

Flu vaccines – 2025/26

• People aged 65 years and over

• Clinically indicated people, also being aged six months or older, in clinical risk groups as defined by the Green Book

• Pregnant women

• People in receipt of Jersey Social Security Home Carers Allowance benefit.

• People in close contact with immunocompromised individuals

• People in long-stay residential care homes

• A person cared for in their own home

• People employed to work in a registered residential care home or as a domiciliary care

worker

• Clinical staff and staff with patient contact in GP practices, Pharmacies, Family Nursing and Home Care and Dental Practices

• A child aged 2, 3 or 4 years

• A child aged 6 months up to 2 years in an at-risk group due to a medical condition.

• Primary school age children (from reception to year 6)

• Secondary School age children (from year 7 to year 11)

COVID vaccines – Spring 2024

• Adults aged 75 years and over

• residents in a care home for older adults

• individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed as defined in the Green Book

COVID vaccines – Autumn 2024

• Age 65 and over

• Residents in a care home for older adults

• Younger adults in long-stay nursing and residential care settings

• Persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in the Green Book

• Health care workers comprising clinical staff and staff with patient contact in GP practices, Pharmacies, Family Nursing and Home Care and Dental Practices

COVID vaccines – Spring 2025

• adults aged 75 years and over

• residents in a care home for older adults

• individuals aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed as defined in the Green Book

COVID vaccines – Autumn 2025

• Adults aged 75 years and over

• Resident in a care home for older adults

• Individuals aged 6 months and over immunosuppressed as defined in the Green Book