Seasonal flu and Covid-19 vaccinations kick off this Friday

The campaign for seasonal flu and Covid-29 vaccination kicks off this Friday, 29 September at around 3500 sites throughout the country – 2500 pharmacies and 100 National Health Service primary healthcare units.

These vaccines are advised for those over the age of 60, healthcare professionals and other care providers, pregnant women, patients in nursing homes, in continued care units, those receiving homecare, and prisons.

The flu vaccine is also advised for chronic patients and immunodeficient patients aged 6 months or older, and the Covid-19 vaccine to people over the age of 5 with defined risk pathologies, such as chronic lung disease, cardiovascular conditions, or diabetes.

People aged 60 or more can head over to their usual Healthcare Centre or schedule the vaccination directly with the pharmacy or online the booking platform, at no cost for the eligible population. The remaining patients flagged for vaccination will be contacted by the NHS healthcare centres where they are registered.

For people not covered by free vaccination, the fu vaccine is provided at pharmacies with a medical prescription.

For the 2023-2024 season, for the first time, the flu vaccine is free for those aged between 60 and 64  years from the start of the seasonal vaccination season, thereby enabling more people to be vaccinated and covering this age group for which the vaccine is currently recommended, bringing the age groups in line with the Covid-19 vaccine.

This will also be the first year in which Covid-19 vaccines can be given in a pharmacy together with the flu vaccine. In this way, we intend to streamline the process and make it more comfortable for patients.

The Autumn/Winter 2023-2024 seasonal vaccination campaign against the flu and Covid-19 has the aim of maximising protection for the more vulnerable populations, with added risk of serious disease and complications, as well as mitigating its impact on the healthcare services. In this context, giving the flu and Covid-19 vaccines together is still a safe and effective strategy that contributes to more people being vaccinated.