Who Gets a Free COVID-19 Vaccine in Scotland This Winter, and What If You Don't Qualify?

The free COVID-19 vaccine offer in Scotland is much narrower than it was a few years ago, and a lot of people are surprised to find they are no longer on the list. People in their late sixties and early seventies, people with diabetes or asthma, pregnant women and health workers who used to be invited often ask us why they have not heard anything this autumn. The answer is usually that the rules have changed.

This page sets out exactly who is eligible for winter 2026/27, who is not, how NHS Scotland gets in touch, and what your options are if you do not qualify. For the wider picture, including how the vaccine works and what happens privately, see our complete guide to the COVID-19 vaccine in Edinburgh.

The short answer for winter 2026/27

In Scotland this winter, a free NHS COVID-19 vaccine is offered to three groups only:

• Adults aged 75 and over, including anyone who turns 75 on or before 31 March 2027
• Residents in care homes for older adults, whatever their age
• People aged 6 months and over with a weakened immune system, because of a condition or a treatment

These are the same groups as last winter and last spring, and the same groups are offered it across the rest of the UK. If you are in one of them, you will also be offered a flu vaccine at the same appointment.

Adults aged 75 and over

The age rule uses a fixed cut-off date. If you are 75 now, or will turn 75 on or before 31 March 2027, you are eligible this season. In practice, that means anyone born on or before 31 March 1952.

Age is the single biggest risk factor for serious COVID-19. In England between September 2024 and September 2025, people aged 80 and over were admitted to hospital with COVID-19 at around three times the rate of people in their seventies, and more than seven times the rate of people in their sixties. JCVI, the committee that advises the UK governments on vaccination, found the highest rates of severe illness and death in people aged 75 and over, more than half of whom also have at least one other health condition.

Residents in care homes for older adults

Everyone living in a care home for older adults is eligible, whatever their age. Residents are usually vaccinated where they live, with the visit arranged between the care home and the local health and social care partnership team, so families do not normally need to book anything. If someone is unable to consent to vaccination, their carer should make sure a valid Section 47 certificate under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act is available, as the vaccinator needs to see it before going ahead.

People with a weakened immune system

Anyone aged 6 months or over with a weakened immune system is eligible. To be included this season, a baby must have been born on or before 1 March 2026. The definition comes from the UK immunisation guidance, the Green Book. For people aged 16 and over it includes:

• people having chemotherapy that weakens the immune system, or radical radiotherapy
• people who have had a solid organ, bone marrow or stem cell transplant
• people living with HIV, at any stage
• anyone who has had a blood cancer, such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma
• people with genetic conditions that affect the immune system
• people on biological or other immunosuppressing treatments, such as anti-TNF drugs, rituximab or mycophenolate
• people taking steroid tablets at 20mg of prednisolone a day or more (or the equivalent) for more than a month
• people who need long-term immunosuppressive treatment for conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma or psoriasis

For children under 16 the list is similar but slightly wider. It includes, for example, any dose of certain immune-modulating tablets such as methotrexate or azathioprine. Children who are about to start immunosuppressive treatment should be considered for vaccination beforehand.

A long-term condition such as diabetes, asthma, COPD or heart disease does not count on its own, and nor does feeling generally run down. If you take a medicine and are unsure whether it counts, the specialist team or GP who prescribes it is the best place to ask. Some people with severe immunosuppression are also offered extra doses between campaigns, timed around their treatment by their specialist team.

Who is no longer offered a free COVID-19 vaccine?

Eligibility has narrowed in stages over the last few years. Unless they fall into one of the three groups above, these people are no longer offered a free COVID-19 vaccine in Scotland:

• people aged 65 to 74
• adults and children with long-term health conditions who are not immunosuppressed, such as diabetes, asthma, COPD or heart disease
• pregnant women
• frontline health and social care workers, and care home staff
• unpaid carers, and people who live with someone who has a weakened immune system

JCVI's reasoning is that serious illness from COVID-19 is now concentrated in older people and people who are immunosuppressed, and that offering the vaccine to wider groups does not meet the cost-effectiveness test it applies to NHS vaccine programmes. It also notes that the current vaccines give no evident protection against passing the virus on, so vaccinating the people around someone vulnerable does not protect that person in the way vaccinating them directly does. JCVI has said it will keep the groups under review as new data comes in.

Why the flu and COVID-19 lists are different

The two vaccines are offered at the same time of year, often at the same appointment, but the lists of who qualifies are not the same. The flu list is much broader. Everyone aged 65 and over, adults with a range of long-term conditions, pregnant women, unpaid carers and people who live with someone who is immunosuppressed are all eligible for a free flu jab this winter, but not for a free COVID-19 vaccine.

So a healthy 70 year old, for example, will be invited for a flu jab but not a COVID-19 vaccine. If that applies to you, take the flu jab when it is offered. Our page on who gets a free flu jab in Scotland sets out the flu groups in full.

How NHS Scotland will contact you

If you are eligible, you do not need to chase it. NHS Scotland contacts eligible people by letter, text or email, depending on the contact preference on your record, with either an appointment or details of how to book one. Anyone who receives an invitation is treated as eligible without being asked to prove it.

In Edinburgh, appointments are at NHS Lothian community vaccination clinics. You can book or change an appointment through the online booking portal on NHS inform, or by calling the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013, which only deals with the flu and COVID-19 programmes. This season, adult COVID-19 vaccination began on 5 October 2026, the aim is for everyone eligible to have been offered it by 6 December, and the programme ends on 31 January 2027.

Think you qualify but have not heard anything?

Invitations go out in stages, so yours may simply not have arrived yet. Health records are also reviewed during the programme, so someone who has recently started a treatment that weakens the immune system may be invited later in the season.

If you think you are eligible and have not been contacted, check the current list on NHS inform and then call the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013, which can check your details and help you book. If you have a weakened immune system and are not sure whether your condition or treatment qualifies, speak to your specialist team or GP. They may be able to refer you to NHS Lothian for vaccination.

If you do not qualify: your options

If you are not eligible, you can still have a COVID-19 vaccine by paying for it at a pharmacy. You do not need a GP referral, and a pharmacist checks the vaccine is suitable before it is given. People who choose this route include:

• people aged 65 to 74, whose risk of serious illness is higher than that of younger adults even though they are not in the NHS programme
• people with long-term conditions such as diabetes, or heart or lung disease, who are no longer invited
• people who want protection before a trip or a family occasion
• people who care for or spend a lot of time with someone frail, and want to lower their own risk of a serious illness
• health and care workers who are no longer offered a vaccine through work

Our private vaccine is an mRNA vaccine, the same type the NHS uses for most people, in this season's updated version. Our page on what happens at a private COVID-19 vaccine appointment explains how it works at Bruntsfield Pharmacy, and the current price is on our price list.

Is it worth having one if you are not eligible?

It is a fair question, and the honest answer is that it depends on you. The vaccine's main benefit is lowering the chance of serious illness for a few months after the dose. That benefit is larger for people whose underlying risk is higher, which is why age and health conditions matter so much.

For a healthy younger adult, the chance of being admitted to hospital with COVID-19 is already low, and the current vaccines give limited protection against catching it and no clear protection against passing it on. Some people still choose to have one, for peace of mind before a busy period or because they would rather lower their risk of a worse illness where they can. If you are unsure, the pharmacist can talk it through with you before you decide.

Frequently asked questions about free COVID-19 vaccines in Scotland

I am 72 and healthy. Will I be offered a COVID-19 vaccine this winter?

Not unless you live in a care home for older adults or have a weakened immune system. You will be offered a free flu jab, because everyone aged 65 and over is eligible for that. If you want a COVID-19 vaccine as well, you can have one privately.

I turn 75 in February 2027. Am I eligible?

Yes. Anyone who turns 75 on or before 31 March 2027 is eligible this season, so you should be invited along with everyone else in your age group.

I have type 2 diabetes. Do I qualify?

Not because of diabetes alone, since it does not count as a weakened immune system. You are eligible for a free flu jab, though, as diabetes is one of the conditions in the flu programme.

I am pregnant. Can I get a free COVID-19 vaccine?

Only if you also have a weakened immune system. You are eligible for a free flu jab at any stage of pregnancy. If you would like a COVID-19 vaccine privately, tell us when you book so the pharmacist can talk it through with you first.

I live with someone who has had a transplant. Am I eligible?

Not for a COVID-19 vaccine. Household contacts of people with a weakened immune system are eligible for a free flu jab, but they are no longer included in the COVID-19 programme. The person who has had the transplant is eligible for both.

I work in a care home. Can I get a COVID-19 vaccine through work?

Frontline health and social care workers, including care home staff, are no longer eligible for an NHS COVID-19 vaccine in Scotland, although they are still eligible for a free flu jab. A private COVID-19 vaccine is the option if you want one.

I missed my NHS appointment. Can I still have it?

Yes, until the programme ends on 31 January 2027. Rebook through the online booking portal on NHS inform or by calling the National Vaccination Helpline on 0800 030 8013.

Related reading

• COVID-19 Vaccine in Edinburgh: The Complete 2026/27 Guide from Bruntsfield Pharmacy
• Private COVID-19 Vaccine in Edinburgh: What Happens at Your Appointment
• When Should You Get a COVID-19 Vaccine? Timing, Gaps Between Doses and After an Infection
• Who Gets a Free Flu Jab in Scotland This Winter, and What If You Don't Qualify?

For everything else about COVID-19 vaccination this winter, see our complete guide to the COVID-19 vaccine in Edinburgh.

Reviewed by Ather Diab, Superintendent Pharmacist and Independent Prescriber (GPhC 2233707). Bruntsfield Pharmacy, GPhC registration 1042628, 129 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh EH10 4EQ. Last reviewed: 15 October 2026.

This page is for general information and does not replace an individual assessment. COVID-19 vaccines are prescription-only medicines and are only given after a check that vaccination is suitable for you. In an emergency, call 999.

Sources: Scottish Government, Winter Programme 2026: Seasonal Flu and COVID-19 Vaccination, SGHD/CMO(2026)18, 21 September 2026; Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, statement on COVID-19 vaccination in autumn 2026 and spring 2027, 16 July 2025; UKHSA Green Book, chapter 14a, COVID-19, 10 September 2026; NHS inform, coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine.