COVID-19 has consumed our lives but it is not the only threat the UK must now contend with. Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawai went on GB News this morning to issue a warning about the incoming flu season. “In a bad season flu can kill over 20,000 people,” he warned.
The flu vaccine will be available to:
- All children aged two and three on 31 August 2021
- All children in primary and all children in school Years 7 to 11 in secondary school
- Those aged six months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups
- Pregnant women
- Those aged 50 years and over
- Unpaid carers
- Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- Frontline health and adult social care staff.
Those aged two and three, primary school children and secondary school children up to Year 11 will be offered the nasal spray vaccine.
The government is preparing to offer the flu jab to those eligible alongside any booster COVID-19 vaccines on order, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
The health body conceded that “it is possible there will be higher levels of flu this winter”.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JVCI) will publish its final advice on who should be prioritised for a possible third, booster vaccine from September “later this summer”, the department added.
Announcing the winter plan, Health Secretary Sajid Javid urged all those eligible for a flu jab to take up the offer.
Flu can be a serious illness and we want to build a wall of protection by immunising a record number of people,” he said.
“With the nation getting closer to normal life, we must learn to live with COVID-19 alongside other viruses and we’re offering the free flu jab to millions more people to help keep them safe this winter.
“The phenomenal scale of the COVID-19 vaccination programme is a clear demonstration of the positive impact vaccination can make and I encourage all those eligible to get their flu jab when called forward.”
Emphasising the risk, Dr Yvonne Doyle, medical director at Public Health England, warned that the coming flu season is “highly unpredictable”.
“The flu vaccine is safe, effective and protects millions of people each year from what can be a devastating illness,” she said.
“Last winter, flu activity was extremely low, but this is no reason for complacency as it means less people have built up a defence against the virus. Combined with the likelihood that COVID-19 will still be circulating, this makes the coming flu season highly unpredictable.
“We will be preparing for a challenging winter by expanding our world-leading flu vaccination programme to over 35 million people, saving more lives and limiting the impact on the NHS and social care.”