Chemists will start offering Covid vaccines privately, with Brits able to buy them for as little as £45 within weeks.
During the pandemic, jabs have only been available on the NHS.
But thanks to a huge shake-up in the plan, major pharmacies will be allowed to sell them by April 1st.
Britons can start booking their appointments from this weekend, MailOnline understands.
Ministers have faced pressure to speed up private sales of Covid vaccines since the threat of the virus began to recede.
The supply will consist of the Novavax vaccine, as opposed to the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. Although Pharmadoctor said it will expand its catalog ‘as more vaccines are licensed for the private market’
Covid and flu vaccines will only be offered to people over 65 this winter. In an effort to ‘get back to normal’, invitations have not been extended to millions of eligible people aged 50 to 64 during the pandemic
During the height of the pandemic, anyone was eligible to get the shot against the virus.
Officials were desperate to build immunity among the population, essentially creating a ‘wall’ that kept Covid at bay and allowed the country to begin life after lockdown.
But over the past few autumn and spring boosters, jabs have been limited to at-risk Britons such as care home residents, the over-65s and frontline NHS workers.
Experts say offering Covid vaccines privately – as happens every winter for flu – is a no-brainer. Even someone on the government’s own vaccine advisory panel said it was a “good idea” ahead of the autumn 2023 rollout.
The change was announced today by Pharmadoctor, a wholesaler that works with more than 8,000 pharmacies in the UK.
A spokesperson also told the trade magazine Chemist and Druggist: ‘For the first time ever, members of the public can go to their local, independent pharmacy to get a private Covid jab for just £45.’
On its website, Pharmadoctor adds: ‘Book your appointment now to avoid the rush.’
Anyone over the age of 12 can buy the shot, MailOnline understands.
The supply will consist of the Novavax vaccine, as opposed to the AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
Although Pharmadoctor said it will expand its catalog “as more vaccines are licensed for the private market.”
Moderna has already said publicly that it wants to offer its shot privately. Pfizer is also said to be exploring its possibilities.
Ministers paid around £20 per dose to Pfizer at the height of the pandemic. But in August, Moderna said it expects to quadruple its own price if the jabs are offered privately.
Novavax’s jab was never distributed as part of the UK’s NHS programme, despite being approved in February 2022 by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which oversees the safety of medicines made in Britain used.
But during the 2022/23 autumn booster campaign it could be used as a booster dose for adults in ‘exceptional circumstances’ if an alternative UK-approved Covid vaccine was not available.
It works in a more traditional way, unlike new-age mRNA jabs like Pfizer’s.
According to the Department of Health and Social Care, pharmaceutical companies are not banned from releasing Covid jabs onto the private market.
A spokesperson said: ‘As is the case for many other vaccines, manufacturers and providers can establish a private market alongside the NHS offer if they consider this feasible and appropriate.
‘The government supports the emergence of a private market for Covid vaccines and will discuss this with relevant parties.’
A 2022 study led by academics at Imperial College London suggests almost 20 million lives were saved by Covid vaccines in the first year since countries began rolling out the jabs, with the majority in rich countries
Pharmadoctor’s digital director Joaquim Pereira said he expected “thousands” to sign up to deliver the new service. It comes as Superdrug revealed in August it was ‘interested’ in selling Covid jabs after health officials gave the green light to private sales
Under the Pharmadoctor service, pharmacies offering private jabs will be listed in a directory that allows patients to ‘find the nearest pharmacy offering the service’, book an appointment and start a pre-consultation online.
It is also encouraging pharmacies to ‘sign up early’ by offering the package at half price until March 31 – from £499 to £249 plus VAT.
Pharmadoctor’s digital director Joaquim Pereira said he expected “thousands” to sign up to deliver the new service.
It comes as Superdrug revealed in August it was ‘interested’ in selling Covid jabs after health officials gave the green light to private sales.
Uptake for the fall booster rollout was approximately 68.8 percent.
But millions have never had a shot.
In recent months the government has given more powers to pharmacies in a bid to ease pressure on the NHS and free up GPs to treat more serious cases.
Ministers have also faced new calls for pharmacies to become the ‘first port of call’ for vaccination programmes.
However, pharmacies are already being hammered in parts of the country as hundreds of businesses have been forced to close.
Pharmacy bodies blame NHS underfunding, staff shortages and a failing GP service.
There are only 11,414 community pharmacies providing key NHS services – the lowest level since records began in 2015/2016. Nearly 400 closed their doors in 2022/2023 alone, statistics show.
Real-time data from NHS England shows the number may be as few as 10,273 as of December 31, 2023.
Industry leaders have labeled the figures as ‘alarming’ and warned that patients will be forced to make longer journeys for essential treatments or ‘miss everything’.