NHS Flu Jab Rollout Starts for Children and Pregnant Women
Millions across England can now book the seasonal flu vaccine, which has been updated to better match the subclade K strain.
Rollout Under Way
The NHS flu vaccination programme in England has opened, with children and pregnant women the first groups eligible for the jab, The Independent reported on 1 September. Most other eligible groups, including people aged 65 and over, people with long-term conditions, care home residents and carers, start receiving their vaccinations from 1 October.
The BBC reported that schoolchildren are being prioritised because they catch and spread flu easily, and that protecting them also helps others around them, including younger siblings and grandparents. Those aged 65 and over should receive an invitation by phone or post.
Boots said it would begin delivering the first wave of NHS flu vaccinations from 1 September. The company added that its private winter flu jab service would be available in many stores from 22 September.
Where and How to Get It
According to The Independent, the vaccine can be given at GP surgeries, pharmacies offering NHS flu vaccination such as Boots, a maternity service, a care home or, in some cases, an employer. Anyone aged 18 or over can book an appointment online or through the NHS App.
School-aged children receive the vaccine as a nasal spray in school, while parents of two- and three-year-olds are invited through their GP practice. The BBC said children from the age of two get the nasal spray version and adults have an injection.
Children aged 2 or 3 on 31 August 2026 can be vaccinated at their GP surgery from 1 September, or at a participating pharmacy from 1 October, The Independent reported. Children who are 17 or over and do not have a long-term health condition are not eligible.
The Updated Vaccine and Last Winter
This winter's vaccine has been changed to better match subclade K, sometimes called Super-K, a mutated seasonal influenza strain that circulated last winter, the BBC reported. The broadcaster noted that "super flu" is not a medical term and does not mean the virus is harder to treat, only that people have not yet built immunity to it.
Last winter's season began more than a month earlier than usual. The BBC said it is not clear when flu will arrive this year or how severe it will be, though experts look to the southern hemisphere for clues. Australia has had fewer cases than last year, while New Zealand has seen high numbers.
Almost 19 million people were vaccinated last winter, helping to avoid about 104,000 hospital admissions, according to NHS figures cited by The Independent. Boots said UK Health Security Agency data showed the jab cut hospitalisation risk by up to 40 per cent in adults aged 65 and over last season, and that more than half of pregnant women went unvaccinated.
What Health Officials Say
Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: "Flu can really knock you for six, and for some children and pregnant women it can mean becoming seriously ill or ending up in hospital."
She said last year's season came early and was worsened by a new variant that put enormous pressure on urgent and emergency care, and that with the NHS experiencing its busiest summer on record, staff began preparing for winter earlier than ever.
Claire Nevinson, superintendent pharmacist at Boots, said it was a good idea to plan ahead and have the jab as early as possible. The BBC noted the vaccine cannot give you flu, and that a single dose is all that is needed.
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