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- By Laura Foster
- Health and science reporter
Image supply, Getty Images
Scientists say vaccination is the strongest type of defence in opposition to Covid-19 and flu
Covid will “continue to surprise us”, England’s deputy chief medical officer has warned forward of one other difficult winter for the NHS.
Dr Thomas Waite says the illness doesn’t but behave in a seasonal means, making it much less predictable than different winter sicknesses.
He encourages anybody eligible for the free flu and/or Covid vaccine to get the jabs and shield their well being.
Last 12 months the flu vaccine stopped 25,000 folks from being hospitalised.
But scientists estimate that final winter in England, flu nonetheless brought on greater than 14 thousand extra deaths and Covid brought on greater than ten thousand.
Who can get the Covid vaccine?
The flu and Covid vaccination programmes had been resulting from begin this month, however really started in September due to issues over the new Covid variant, BA.2.86.
You can have a Covid vaccine if you’re:
- 65 or over
- dwelling in a care residence
- a well being or social care employee
- somebody with a sure long-term well being situation, or dwell with an individual who has one
You can not purchase any Covid vaccines privately within the UK.
The flu jab is on the market free to some groups of adults – they embrace anybody who’s pregnant, over 65, sure carers and anybody who has explicit long-term well being circumstances.
Data from Australia exhibits that this 12 months’s flu vaccine will supply good safety for folks dwelling within the UK.
NHS England says this 12 months’s vaccination programme is off to “a really good start”.
Some 10% of these eligible for the Covid booster have had a jab already and 10% of these eligible for the flu one have had theirs.
But Dr Waite desires to see extra vaccine uptake, notably amongst kids, pregnant girls and people whose well being circumstances put them extra in danger.
He says making an attempt to say what’s going to occur this winter is “crystal ball territory”.
“Flu worries me. Australia saw a large wave last year, and another early wave this year,” he stated.
“I think it’s hard to say at this point exactly what Covid is going to do… but I don’t doubt that Covid in particular will continue to surprise us.”
You can e-book your appointment for both vaccine in England through the NHS England website, utilizing the NHS England app, by dialling 119 or responding to an invite out of your GP.
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