Research and analysis

Shingles vaccine coverage report (adults eligible from September to November 2024 and vaccinated to the end of January 2025): England

Updated 24 April 2025

Applies to England

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Main points

This quarterly report presents vaccine coverage and uptake data for the Shingrix for All immunisation programme for quarter 1 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 November 2024), measured on 23 January 2025.

The ‘Shingrix for All’ immunisation programme began on 1 September 2023. The programme offers 2 doses of the Shingrix vaccine to all immunocompetent individuals turning 65 and 70 and severely immunosuppressed individuals turning 50 and over.

The main findings for this quarter were that:

  • uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 16.2% in those who turned 65 in quarter 1 of 2024 to 2025, 5.4 percentage points lower than uptake in 2023 to 2024

  • uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 25.0% in those who turned 70 in quarter 1 of 2024 to 2025, 6.3 percentage points lower than uptake in 2023 to 2024

  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 33.1% in those who turned 66 in 2024 to 2025

  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 45.1% in those who turned 71 in 2024 to 2025

  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 20.1% in those who turned 50 and over in 2024 to 2025 with severe immunosuppression

Introduction

The aim of the routine shingles (herpes zoster) vaccination programme is to prevent severe morbidity from shingles in groups at the highest risk.

A routine shingles vaccination programme began on 1 September 2013, offering one dose of the Shingles (Zostavax) vaccine to all 70 year olds, together with a catch-up programme for older cohorts (1 to 3). Adults became eligible at 70 years old and remained eligible until their 80th birthday (See the Appendix).

From 1 September 2021 to 31 August 2023, GPs were able to offer the non-live shingles vaccine Shingrix® to all those who were eligible for shingles vaccination but clinically contraindicated to receive the live vaccine Zostavax® due to their immunocompromised status. The vaccine was offered via a proactive call to those becoming eligible at 70 years old and offered opportunistically or if requested for those over 70 years until the age of 80.

From 1 September 2023, these two programmes ceased, being replaced with a new programme offering two doses of Shingrix vaccine to:

  • immunocompetent individuals turning 65 and 70
  • all severely immunosuppressed (eligibility as defined in the Green Book Shingles chapter 28a) turning 50 or over

Immunocompetent individuals will remain eligible for the Shingrix vaccine until their 80th birthday and vaccines will be offered in a phased implementation over 10 years. For full details on eligibility and the phased programme are available see Shingles immunisation programme: information for healthcare practitioners.

Methods

Data sources

The data presented in this report was collected at the GP practice level and was automatically uploaded via participating GP IT suppliers to the ImmForm. Data was then validated and analysed by UKHSA to check data completeness, query any anomalous results and describe epidemiological trends.

Uptake methodology

Quarter 1 vaccine uptake in the 65 and 70 year old cohorts was defined as the total number of patients turning 65 or 70 in quarter 1 (1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024) who received the Shingrix vaccine between 1 September 2024 and 23 January 2025 (numerator) as a proportion of the total number of registered patients turning 65 or 70 in quarter 1 (denominator). By collecting the data in late January, those becoming eligible in quarter 1 have between 1 and 4 months to receive the vaccine, depending on their date of birth.

A more detailed breakdown of the different cohorts can be found in Table 1.

Table 1. Eligibility table for those who turned 65 and 70 in quarter 1 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year

Eligibility Birth date range Period turning eligible
Turning 65 in Q1 1 September 1959 to 30 November 1959 1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024
Turning 70 in Q1 1 September 1954 to 30 November 1954 1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024

Coverage methodology

Quarter 1 vaccine coverage in the 66 and 71 year old cohort was defined as the total number of patients turning 66 or 71 in the academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) who received the Shingrix vaccine by 23 January 2025 (numerator) as a proportion of the total number of registered patients turning 66 or 77 in the academic year (denominator).

Quarter 1 vaccine coverage in the immunosuppressed cohort was defined as the total number of patients turning 50 years and over in the academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) with severe immunosuppression who received the Shingrix vaccine by 23 January 2025 (numerator) as a proportion of the total number of registered patients turning 50 years and over in the academic year with severe immunosuppression (denominator).

A more detailed breakdown of the different cohorts can be found in Table 2.

Table 2. Eligibility table for those turning 66 and 71 and those turning 50 and over with severe immunosuppression

Age turned from September 2024 to August 2025 Birth date range of cohort Period first eligible for Shingrix vaccine
50 and over (immunosuppressed) Born before 1 September 1975 1 September 2023 onwards
66 1 September 1958 to 31 August 1959 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024
71 1 September 1953 to 31 August 1954 1 September 2023 to 31 August 2024

Results

A total of 6,169 out of a total of 6,235 (98.9%) GP practices reported Shingrix vaccine uptake data for quarter 1. Both GP IT suppliers (EMIS and TPP) provided data.

Shingrix Uptake

Uptake in those turning 65

For those turning 65 in quarter 1 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024) and measured at the end of January:

  • uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 16.2%
  • uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 5.4 percentage points lower than uptake in those turning 65 in quarter 1 of 2023 to 2024
  • uptake was lowest in London (9.2%) and highest in the South West (20.2%) (Table 3)

Uptake in those turning 70

For those turning 70 in quarter 1 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024) and measured at the end of January:

  • uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 25.0%
  • uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 6.3 percentage points lower than uptake in those turning 70 in quarter 1 of 2023 to 2024
  • uptake was lowest in London (15.9%) and highest in the South West (29.7%) (Table 3)

Table 3. Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 65 and 70 in quarter 1 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year, by commissioning region

Commissioning Region Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 65 years old in quarter 1 Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 70 years old in quarter 1
London 9.2 15.9
South West 20.2 29.7
South East 17.5 25.7
Midlands 16.3 25.2
East of England 19.3 27.8
North West 13.9 22.5
North East 17.4 27.2
Total 16.2 25.0

Shingrix Coverage

Coverage in those turning 66

For those turning 66 in the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) and measured at the end of January:

  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 33.1%
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was 14.4%
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 has increased by 9.7 percentage points since October 2024
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was lowest in London (23.2%) and highest in the South West (38.1%) (Table 4)
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was lowest in London (9.0%) and highest in the South West (16.9%) (Table 4)

Coverage in those turning 71

For those turning 71 in the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) and measured at the end of January:

  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 45.1%
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was 20.4%
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 has increased by 12.6 percentage points since October 2024
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was lowest in London (33.1%) and highest in the South West (49.9%) (Table 4)
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was lowest in London (13.0%) and highest in the South West (23.2%) (Table 4)

Coverage in individuals turning 50 and over with severe immunosuppression

For those turning 50 and over in the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) with severe immunosuppression and measured at the end of January:

  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 20.1%
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was 12.0%
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 has increased by 3.0 percentage points since October 2024
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was lowest in London (15.7%) and highest in the South East (21.6%) (Table 4)
  • coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was lowest in London (7.8%) and highest in the South West (13.9%) (Table 4)

Table 4. Shingrix dose 1 and 2 coverage for those turning 66 and 71 and those turning 50 and over with severe immunosuppression, by commission region

Commissioning Region Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 66 Shingrix dose 2 uptake for those turning 66 Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 71 Shingrix dose 2 uptake for those turning 71 Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 50 and over with severe immunosuppression Shingrix dose 2 uptake for those turning 50 and over with severe immunosuppression
London 23.2 9.0 33.1 13.0 15.7 7.8
South West 38.1 16.9 49.9 23.2 21.4 13.6
South East 36.3 16.9 48.2 23.1 21.6 13.9
Midlands 32.8 14.1 44.9 20.2 20.0 11.9
East of England 36.2 15.5 48.0 22.2 20.3 12.3
North West 30.0 13.4 42.3 19.0 19.7 12.0
North East 34.9 14.8 47.1 20.8 21.4 12.1
Total 33.1 14.4 45.1 20.4 20.1 12.0

Discussion

Uptake for those becoming eligible for Shingrix in quarter 1 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year was 16.2% for those turning 65 and 25.0% for those turning 70. This is lower than the uptake measured for those becoming eligible in quarter 1 of the 2023 to 2024 academic year.

Dose 1 coverage was 33.1% for those turning 66 in 2024 to 2025 and 45.1% for those turning 71 in 2024 to 2025. These individuals would have been eligible for between 4 and 16 months when coverage was measured. Dose 1 coverage in these individuals has increased since it was measured in October 2024, and it is expected that coverage will continue to increase as individuals have more time to be vaccinated. Coverage of dose 2 was lower for all age groups as individuals only became eligible for the second dose 12 months after receiving their initial dose.

This report focuses on individuals who have become eligible for the Shingrix vaccine since the ‘Shingrix for All’ programme began in September 2023. Individuals aged 72 to 80 became eligible for the shingles vaccine during the Zostavax immunisation programme although may have also received the Shingrix vaccine if stocks of Zostavax were depleted. Some individuals may also have received Shingrix during the previous immunisation programme which targeted immunosuppressed individuals.

Appendix

Eligibility criteria for the shingles vaccination programmes

September 2023

The new Shingrix vaccination programme was introduced in September 2023. The new programme offers 2 doses of Shingrix vaccine to all severely immunosuppressed individuals from 50 years of age and immunocompetent individuals turning 65 and 70 years of age.

September 2020

As of 1 September 2020, all individuals in the catch-up cohorts (born 2 September 1933 to 1 September 1942) have been offered the Shingles (Zostavax) vaccine when they turned 78 years old, thus completing the catch-up programme which started on 1 September 2013.

April 2017

The eligibility criteria for receiving the Shingles (Zostavax) vaccine was simplified so that individuals become eligible on their 70th birthday (routine cohort) or their 78th birthday (catch-up cohort).

September 2016

In the fourth year of the programme (1 September 2016 to 31 August 2017), the vaccine was routinely offered to adults aged 70 years on 1 September 2016 (born between 2 September 1945 and 1 September 1946). The fourth year of the programme also included a catch-up cohort of adults aged 78 on 1 September 2016 (born between 2 September 1937 and 1 September 1938). In addition, patients who became eligible in the first 3 years of the programme but have not been vaccinated against shingles remain eligible until their 80th birthday (patients aged 71, 72, 73 and 79 on 1 September 2016).

September 2015

In the third year of the programme (1 September 2015 to 31 August 2016), the vaccine was routinely offered to adults aged 70 years on 1 September 2015 (born between 2 September 1944 and 1 September 1945). The third year of the programme also included a catch-up cohort of adults aged 78 on 1 September 2015 (born between 2 September 1936 and 1 September 1937). In addition, patients who became eligible in the first 2 years of the programme but have not been vaccinated against shingles (Zostavax) remain eligible until their 80th birthday (patients aged 71, 72 and 79 on 1 September 2015).

September 2014

In the second year of the programme (1 September 2014 to 31 August 2015), the vaccine was routinely offered to adults aged 70 years on 1 September 2014 (born between 2 September 1943 and 1 September 1944). The second year of the programme also included 2 catch-up cohorts comprised of adults aged 78 on 1 September 2014 (born between 2 September 1935 and 1 September 1936), and adults aged 79 on 1 September 2014 (born between 2 September 1934 and 1 September 1935). In addition, those who became eligible as 70 year olds from 1 September 2013 but had not yet been immunised were also eligible.

September 2013

In the first year of the programme (2013 to 2014), the vaccine was routinely offered to adults aged 70 years on 1 September 2013 (born between 2 September 1942 and 1 September 1943 and to adults aged 79 on 1 September 2013 (born between 2 September 1933 and 1 September 1934) as part of the catch-up campaign.

References

  1. NHS Choices website (2021). Who can have the shingles vaccine?
  2. UKHSA (2022).Vaccination against shingles: information for healthcare professionals
  3. UKHSA (2022). Shingles: guidance and vaccination programme
  4. UKHSA. Shingles vaccine uptake
  5. UKHSA. Shingles (herpes zoster): the green book, chapter 28a
  6. Andrews N, Stowe J, Kuyumdzhieva G, Sile B, Yonova I, Lusignan S, Ramsay M and Amirthalingam G (2020). ‘Impact of the herpes zoster vaccination programme on hospitalised and general practice consulted herpes zoster in the 5 years after its introduction in England: a population-based study’ BMJ Open
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