When can I get my booster after Covid? How long you need to wait - and why

On Sunday night (December 12), Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the deadline for offering a booster jab to every adult in the country would be brought forward by a month.

This means that every adult in the country should have been offered a booster jab by the end of December - rather than the previous target of the end of January - in light of the rapid spread of the Omicron variant. But what happens if you’ve recently recovered from Covid-19? Do you need to wait to get the booster - and how long for?

How long do I need to wait to have my booster jab after having Covid-19?

If you have recently recovered from Covid-19, you will still need to get the booster.

However, official government guidance states you should wait to get the booster until at least four weeks has passed since your Covid-19 infection.

If you currently have Covid-19, you should continue to isolate as advised by the NHS.

Why do I need to wait to get my booster after testing positive for Covid-19?

A spokesperson from the UK Health Security Agency told The Yorkshire Post that there are a few reasons people who have had Covid-19 should wait for at least four weeks before getting the jab.

”When someone catches COVID-19, they are at risk of becoming increasingly unwell for up to two weeks after infection,” they explained.

“It is important these symptoms due to COVID-19 infection are not confused with having been caused by the vaccine, which is why vaccination is delayed post-infection.”

Furthermore, the precautionary 28-day interval between Covid-19 and the booster vaccine is also designed to ensure people are no longer likely to be acutely unwell from their infection when they take up the jab.

“Antibody levels increase following COVID-19 infection, so the four-week wait for the booster should not put individuals at any greater risk from the virus,” they added.