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Παρασκευή, 29 Μαρτίου, 2024

Flu jab 2021: Who’s eligible for a free vaccine?

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By Smitha MundasadHealth reporter

image source,

Flu jabs may be offered alongside Co booster jabs for many people over the coming months.

This year sees the biggest ever roll-out of England’s flu vaccine, as it’s feared the winter could see a difficult annual flu season alongside coronavirus surges.

Who can get a free flu jab?

This year the flu jab will be offered to:

All children who are aged two and three on 31 August 2021All children in primary school and all secondary school pupils under the age of 16 on 31 AugustThose aged six months to under 50 years in clinical risk groupsPregnant womenThose aged 50 years and overPeople in residential careUnpaid carersClose contacts of people with weakened immune systems Health and care staff

The flu vaccine will be be offered via your GP, local pharmacy and schools.

Can I get flu and coronavirus jabs at the same time?

Government vaccine advisors have recommended that around 30 million people in the UK are given a third Co jab, including the over-50s, frontline health and care workers and younger adults with health conditions.

They may be offered the flu and booster coronavirus jabs simultaneously, subject to the availability of vaccine stocks.

Deputy chief medical officer for England Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said that he recommended that everyone who was offered both jabs should take them.

However, he said it may not be possible to give both vaccines at the same time for every single patient.

What about the rest of the UK?

Health officials in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales plan to cover similar groups – with some variation.

In Scotland, teachers, nursery teachers and support staff in close contact with pupils are being offered the jab.

In Northern Ireland secondary school children in their first year can have the vaccine. Older children are eligible if they are at risk.

Who else can get a jab?

People not included in these groups will be able to pay for a flu vaccine at some supermarkets and High Street chemists.

Doctors also want to boost vaccination levels in the most deprived areas.

How bad is flu?

Flu – or influenza – is a very common, highly infectious disease, caused by a virus.

It can be deadly – particularly for older adults, very young children and people with underlying health conditions.

The average number of estimated deaths in England for the past five annual flu seasons is more than 11,000 – but there have been big variations each winter.

There were more than 22,000 estimated deaths in the 2017-18 season, but just under 4,000 deaths in 2018-19.

image source, image captionSocial distancing influenced the spread of the flu last winter

Will there be a lot of flu this year?

A combination of masks, social distancing and restrictions on international travel helped keep flu levels extremely low last winter.

As a result, scientists expect fewer people to be immune this season.

And as social mixing returns towards pre-pandemic levels, this could be the first UK winter when the seasonal flu virus (and other respiratory viruses) will be spread alongside Co.

The concern is this may add a substantial burden to the winter pressures faced by the NHS.

Some not-yet published mathematical predictions, seen by the UK’s vaccine advisors, suggest the 2021-2022 flu season could be up to 50% larger than usual and may begin earlier.

Who should take extra care and why?

The worry is that certain groups of people – the elderly, pregnant women and those with long-term health conditions – are at high risk of becoming seriously ill from both coronavirus and flu.

And while many healthy people can fight off the flu, there can be complications – most commonly a bacterial chest infection, which can develop into pneumonia.

Other potential life-threatening complications include septic shock.

Do I have flu or coronavirus?

Many of the symptoms are similar for both viruses:

Some people may also experience muscle aches, a headache, and possibly diarrhoea or vomiting.

And if you add in other common winter viruses it can be hard to be sure what is making someone ill.

If any doubt, it’s best to get a test.

Flu and coronavirus can also be spread before people have symptoms – or by people who don’t get symptoms.

image source, image captionNew measures may be put in place while people have their vaccinations

Will the flu vaccine work?

Every year, the WHO looks at the current circulating flu strains before recommending what the next set of vaccines should contain.

But because the vaccines often have to be made six months in advance, they can only ever be a prediction.

And the southern hemisphere – which scientists monitor to see which strains to include – is also seeing much less flu this winter.

But experts say it’s better to be vaccinated against some strains of flu than none at all – particularly during a pandemic.

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