From today people aged 50 and over can book their autumn booster and flu vaccines, as the NHS Covid-19 and flu programmes continue to protect the country ahead of winter.

Online and phone bookings are now open to around 12 million people aged between 50 and 64 to book their Covid jabs.

And for the first time, the service will allow some people who are eligible for a flu vaccine to book an appointment online under a new pilot with more than 200 sites across the country.

More than 7 million people have already had their autumn booster in just over a month, following a bumper week last week of almost 2 million jabs being delivered to people aged 65 and over and those most at risk from Covid.

Record numbers of sites are delivering autumn boosters since the campaign began a month ago, while the flu jab is being offered at thousands of community pharmacies and GP surgeries across England.

You can still book flu vaccinations through your GP practice or by visiting a participating community pharmacy. Please call 119 if you need help.

Approximately 26 million people are eligible for an autumn Covid-19 booster, with health leaders warning of a ‘twindemic’ of the two illnesses this winter, and have urged people to come forward for their jabs.

 

Around 33 million people in England will be eligible for a free flu vaccine this year, including all primary-age and some secondary-age children, who will be offered a nasal spray.

While sites are co-administering the flu and Covid vaccines where possible, people may be required to book two separate appointments for the different vaccines.

 

Those eligible for the flu jab are:

  • people aged 50 and over
  • those aged between six months and 49 years with a specified health condition
  • some secondary school-aged children
  • 2 and 3-year-olds
  • pregnant women
  • primary school-aged children
  • those in care homes
  • people who are carers, as set out in the Green Book
  • frontline healthcare workers
  • frontline social care staff who do not have access to occupational health schemes
  • household contacts of people with weakened immune systems.

In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, those eligible for an autumn Covid booster this year include:

  • residents in care homes for older adults
  • staff working in care homes for older adults
  • frontline health and social care workers
  • all adults aged 50 years and over
  • persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, as set out in the Green Book
  • persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
  • persons aged 16 to 49 years who are carers, as set out in the Green Book.

For a full list of pharmacies offering a free NHS flu vaccination, including those not part of the NHS pilot, please visit the nhs.uk website.

Pharmacies are taking appointment bookings for flu vaccination online.

More than 131 million Covid vaccines have been administered by NHS staff and volunteers since the first Covid-19 jab was delivered outside of clinical trials to Maggie Keenan in Coventry in December 2020.