Information:

Flu and COVID-19 Seasonal Vaccination Programme: autumn/winter 2024/25

The government has accepted final advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) regarding a COVID-19 autumn/winter 2024/25 vaccination programme.

The groups to be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in autumn/winter 2024/25 are:

• residents in a care home for older adults
• all adults aged 65 years and over
• persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) Green Book on immunisation against infectious disease

Vaccination of all COVID-19 cohorts will start on 3 October.

The following groups are to be offered flu vaccination in line with the announced and authorised cohorts:

From 1 September 2024:

• pregnant women
• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
• primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6)
• secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

From 3 October 2024:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza Chapter 19)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants

An October start date reflects JCVI advice that the flu vaccine’s effectiveness can wane over time in adults and so a later start date is preferable.

Those patients who are eligible for either a flu or Covid-19 vaccine (or both) will be sent an invite to self-book an appointment. Alternatively the Practice will be in touch to make an appointment so you will not need to phone the Surgeries to book these in.