Vaccinations helps protect against you against the flu and Covid virus, which both can be a serious or life-threatening illnesses. Vaccinations offered on the NHS every year in autumn or early winter to people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from winter viruses. For advice and information about vaccinations, speak to your GP, practice nurse, pharmacist or school immunisation team.
Flu Vaccine
The flu vaccine is recommended for people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from influenza.
It is offered free of charge to adults who:
- are aged 65 or over
- have certain long-term health conditions
- are pregnant
- live in a care home
- are the main carer for an older or disabled person, or receive a carer’s allowance
- live with someone who has a weakened immune system
- a frontline health and social care worker
The nasal spray flu vaccine is free on the NHS for:
- children aged 2 to 17 years with long-term health conditions
- children aged 2 or 3 years
- all primary school children (reception to year 6)
- all year 7 to year 11 children in secondary school
If you are pregnant or have a long-term condition, you may find the following leaflets helpful:
Covid 19 Vaccination
The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect against COVID-19, which can be a serious or life-threatening illness for some people.
You may be offered a COVID-19 vaccine in early winter if you:
- are aged 75 or over
- are aged 6 months to 74 years and have a weakened immune system because of a health condition or treatment
- live in a care home for older adults
Additional reading
Getting the flu and covid jabs is an important way to stay safe and well this winter. Getting vaccinated is also a personal choice- this means you should make an informed decision and not feel pressured by people to get the vaccine or avoid getting vaccinated. It’s your body, you should choose whether you have a vaccine or not. Making an informed decision relies on you doing research before getting vaccinated. You might find the following information useful.