First published: 24 July 2020 We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article. It will now include wider demographics to include more age groups, medical conditions and those at risk.

Evidence-based immunization information and tools for B.C. The flu vaccine is offered by the NHS and can be administered at your local GP surgery, at a local pharmacy that offers the service or if you are pregnant, by a midwife. Newly eligible groups include:▪️ households of those on the shielded patient list▪️ children in year 7 ▪️ people aged 50 to 64 later in the year, Find out more: https://t.co/nHfVcQQapS pic.twitter.com/14zKhE06Mr, — Public Health England (@PHE_uk) July 24, 2020. And everything else you need to know about the flu vaccine. This web page provides preliminary cumulative estimates of flu cases, medical visits and hospitalizations for the 2019-2020 season. Unlike last year, a nasal-spray form of the flu shot will be available in Canada for children between ages two and 17, she said, adding it’s a good option for those who fear needles. The flu vaccine is available to more people this year, to try and prevent a surge of cases across the UK. Localised lockdown list: Which UK areas have gone back into lockdown – and which areas at risk of going into lockdown? On top of this, a heavy flu season combined with the coronavirus might overwhelm the NHS and if lots of medical staff are sick with the flu, then they might not be able to deal with coronavirus with the same effectiveness as they have done in previous months. The government hopes that by offering the vaccine to 5 million more people this year and extending it to more people, it will be more successful and help to protect the NHS in the winter. But, how will be offered the vaccine and when will it be available? How do vaccines work? Changes are being made to what qualifies you for a free flu vaccine this year.

READ MORE: How to become a volunteer for the coronavirus vaccine trials in the UK. Who can have it? However, this year the vaccine will be made available from September for all those who qualify. “Vaccinating more people will help reduce flu transmission and stop people becoming ill.”. What are vaccines? Although the vaccine has been offered in previous years, to try and limit the numbers of people who will contract the common flu this year, the qualifying criteria for the vaccine will now include more demographics of the population. The NHS advises that the best time to have the flu vaccine is in the winter months, any time from October to the end of November. When should you get a Covid test and where can you get one? Those who are most at risk will be vaccinated first, when the programme begins later this year with those aged 50 – 64 to be offered the vaccine later, according to BBC reporting. “Flu vaccine prevents flu; we’re working on a coronavirus vaccine. This year, 30 million people will be offered a free flu vaccine to try and limit the combined negative impact of coronavirus and other flu-like viruses on the NHS. In the coming months, the NHS will be in contact with all those who are being offered the vaccine. It is currently not known what the plans are to extend the new flu vaccination scheme into Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. So to try and keep the NHS’ working capacity, the government has already announced a huge uptake in the number of coronavirus tests being done per day and now, along with the promise that millions more people than last year in England would be offered the free flu vaccine. CDC has worked with vaccine manufacturers to have extra flu vaccine available this flu season. This means that more testing will have to be done to try and trace contacts to limit the spread of the virus. Many community pharmacies also now offer the vaccination to adults who are at risk of catching the flu, which includes pregnant women, people aged over 65 and those with long term health conditions and their carers. As Professor Chris Whitty , the chief medical advisor, previously stated, “This winter more than ever, with Covid-19 still circulating, we need to help reduce all avoidable risks.