Shingles vaccine uptake report (adults eligible from September 2024 to February 2025 and vaccinated to the end of April 2025): England
Updated 31 July 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 2 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year (1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025), measured on 23 April 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:
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uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 15.9% in those who turned 65 in quarter 2 of 2024 to 2025, 5.5 percentage points lower than uptake in 2023 to 2024
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uptake of Shingrix dose 1 was 24.2% in those who turned 70 in quarter 2 of 2024 to 2025, 6.6 percentage points lower than uptake in 2023 to 2024
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coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 36.5% in those who turned 66 in 2024 to 2025
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coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 48.3% in those who turned 71 in 2024 to 2025
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coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 21.5% 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 shingles vaccine (Zostavax®) 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 2 programmes ceased, being replaced with a new programme offering 2 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 ImmForm. Data was then validated and analysed by UKHSA to check data completeness, query any anomalous results and describe epidemiological trends.
Uptake methodology
Vaccine uptake was defined as the number of patients in each birth cohort, who received the first dose of the Shingrix vaccine (numerator) since 1 September 2024, as a proportion of the total number of registered patients in that birth cohort (denominator).
Quarter 1 vaccine uptake in the 65 and 70 year old cohorts was defined as the proportion 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 April 2025. By collecting the data in late April, those becoming eligible in quarter 1 had between 5 and 7 months to receive the vaccine, depending on their date of birth.
Quarter 2 vaccine uptake in the 65 and 70 year old cohorts was defined as the proportion of patients turning 65 or 70 in quarter 2 (1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025) who received the Shingrix vaccine between 1 September 2024 and 23 April 2025. By collecting the data in late April, those becoming eligible in quarter 2 had 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 quarters 1 and 2 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 65 in Q2 | 1 December 1959 to 28 February 1960 | 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025 |
| Turning 70 in Q1 | 1 September 1954 to 30 November 1954 | 1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024 |
| Turning 70 in Q2 | 1 December 1954 to 28 February 1955 | 1 December 2024 to 28 February 2025 |
Coverage methodology
Vaccine coverage was defined as the number of patients in each birth cohort, who received the first dose of the Shingrix vaccine (numerator) at any time as a proportion of the total number of registered patients in that birth cohort (denominator).
Quarter 2 vaccine coverage in the 66- and 71-year-old cohort was defined as the proportion of patients turning 66 or 71 in the 2023 to 2024 academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) who received the Shingrix vaccine by 23 April 2025.
Quarter 2 vaccine coverage in the immunosuppressed cohort was defined as the proportion of patients turning 50 years and over in the 2023 to 2024 academic year (1 September 2024 to 31 August 2025) with severe immunosuppression who received the Shingrix vaccine by 23 April 2025.
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 6,146 out of 6,217 (98.9%) GP practices reported Shingrix vaccine uptake data for quarter 2. Both the main GP IT suppliers (OPTUM and TPP) provided data.
Shingrix uptake
Uptake in those turning 65
For those turning 65 in the 2024 to 2025 academic year:
- 23.2% of adults turning 65 during quarter 1 were vaccinated by 23 April 2025, an increase of 7.0% from when it was measured on 23 January 2025 (Figure 2)
- 15.9% of adults turning 65 during quarter 2 were vaccinated by 23 April 2025
- uptake was the lowest in London (9.2%) and highest in the South West (19.6%) for those turning 65 in quarter 2 (Table 3)
- uptake had decreased by 5.5 percentage points compared with uptake for those turning 65 in quarter 2 of 2023 to 2024
Uptake in those turning 70
For those turning 70 in the 2024 to 2025 academic year:
- 33.7% of adults turning 70 during quarter 1 were vaccinated by 23 April 2025, an increase of 8.7 percentage points from when it was measured on 23 January 2025 (Figure 2)
- 24.2% of adults turning 70 during quarter 2 were vaccinated by 23 April 2025
- uptake was the lowest in London (15.1%) and highest in the South West (28.7%) for those turning 70 in quarter 2 (Table 3)
- uptake had decreased by 6.6 percentage points compared with uptake for those turning 70 in quarter 2 of 2023 to 2024
Figure 1. Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 65 in quarter 1 and quarter 2 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year
Figure 2. Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 70 in quarter 1 and quarter 2 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year
Table 3. Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 65 in quarter 1 and quarter 2 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year measured on 23 April 2025, by commissioning region
| Commissioning Region | Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 70 years old in quarter 1 | Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 70 years old in quarter 2 |
|---|---|---|
| London | 15.0 | 9.2 |
| North West | 21.3 | 14.4 |
| Midlands | 22.8 | 16.5 |
| North East | 23.7 | 16.9 |
| East of England | 25.6 | 16.2 |
| South East | 26.7 | 18.8 |
| South West | 27.7 | 19.6 |
| England | 23.2 | 15.9 |
Table 3. Shingrix dose 1 uptake for those turning 70 in quarters 1 and quarter 2 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year measured on 23 April 2025, 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 65 years old in quarter 2 |
|---|---|---|
| London | 23.3 | 15.1 |
| North West | 30.6 | 20.6 |
| Midlands | 34.1 | 24.6 |
| South East | 36.8 | 27.3 |
| North East and Yorkshire | 35.5 | 26.0 |
| East of England | 35.5 | 25.4 |
| South West | 38.6 | 28.7 |
| England | 33.7 | 24.2 |
Shingrix coverage
Coverage in those turning 66
For those turning 66 in the 2024 to 2025 academic year and measured at the end of April:
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 36.5%
- coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was 19.5%
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 had increased by 3.4 percentage points since January 2025
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was lowest in London (26.3%) and highest in the South West (41.6%) (Table 4)
- coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was lowest in London (12.4%) and highest in the South West (23.0%) (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 April:
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 48.3%
- coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was 27.3%
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 had increased by 3.2 percentage points since January 2025
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was lowest in London (36.5%) and highest in the South West (53.1%) (Table 4)
- coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was lowest in London (17.8%) and highest in the South West (31.2%) (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 with severe immunosuppression and measured at the end of April:
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was 21.5%
- coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was 13.1%
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 had increased by 1.4 percentage points since January 2025
- coverage of Shingrix dose 1 was lowest in London (17.1%) and highest in the South East (23.1%) (Table 4)
- coverage of Shingrix dose 2 was lowest in London (8.8%) and highest in the South East (15.1%) (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 commissioning 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 | 26.3 | 12.4 | 36.5 | 17.8 | 17.1 | 8.8 |
| South West | 41.6 | 23.0 | 53.1 | 31.2 | 22.8 | 14.8 |
| South East | 40.5 | 22.8 | 52.1 | 31.2 | 23.1 | 15.1 |
| Midlands | 36.0 | 19.1 | 48.1 | 26.9 | 21.4 | 12.9 |
| East of England | 39.2 | 20.6 | 50.8 | 29.0 | 21.4 | 13.2 |
| North West | 33.6 | 18.5 | 45.8 | 26.2 | 21.3 | 13.3 |
| North East | 37.7 | 19.6 | 49.9 | 27.1 | 22.7 | 13.0 |
| England | 36.5 | 19.5 | 48.3 | 27.3 | 21.5 | 13.1 |
Discussion
Uptake for those becoming eligible for Shingrix in quarter 2 of the 2024 to 2025 academic year was 15.9% for those turning 65 and 24.2% for those turning 70. These individuals would have been eligible for between 1 and 4 months when coverage was measured in April 2025. This is slightly lower than the uptake measured for those becoming eligible in the equivalent previous quarter 2 of the 2023 to 2024 academic year.
Coverage for dose 1 was 36.5% for those turning 66 in 2024 to 2025 and 48.3% for those turning 71. These individuals would have been eligible for between 7 and 19 months when coverage was measured in April 2025. Dose 1 coverage in these individuals has increased since it was measured in January 2025, 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
Date and eligibility criteria for the shingles vaccination (Zostavax) programme since 1 September 2023
1 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.
1 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 vaccine (Zostavax) when they turned 78 years old, thus completing the catch-up programme which started on 1 September 2013.
1 April 2017
The eligibility criteria for receiving the shingles vaccine (Zostavax) was simplified so that individuals become eligible on their 70th birthday (routine cohort) or their 78th birthday (catch-up cohort).
1 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).
1 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).
1 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.
1 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
- NHS Choices website (2021). Who can have the shingles vaccine?
- UKHSA (2022). Vaccination against shingles: information for healthcare professionals
- UKHSA (2022). Shingles: guidance and vaccination programme
- UKHSA. Shingles (herpes zoster): the green book, chapter 28a