2024 Flu and COVID vaccination programme announced

This year's Flu and COVID vaccinations will be available from 3 October, providing vital protection to keep people from developing serious illnesses and ending up in hospital during busy winter months.

This year, based on the latest scientific evidence, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends adults aged 65 and over, residents in older adult care homes and those with underlying health conditions aged 6 months to 64 years will be eligible for flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.

The Government has also decided that, as in previous years, the COVID-19 and flu vaccines will be offered to frontline health and social care staff, with staff in older adult care homes being offered the COVID-19 jab.

Eligible people will begin receiving invitations from the NHS to get their jabs, while GP practices and other local NHS services will also be contacting people to offer both vaccines. The flu vaccine can also be booked by searching online for a local pharmacy.

Flu season usually peaks in December and January, so starting adult vaccinations from October will ensure those most at risk are protected during the colder months when people gather indoors and viruses spread.

For the first time, the NHS is also offering vaccines for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a common cause of coughs and colds which can be dangerous to older people and young children. The jab, introduced earlier this month, is available to those aged 75 to 79, and is being offered to pregnant women from 28 weeks, to protect their child.

For those adults eligible for both flu and COVID-19 vaccines, the NHS will make them available at the same time, giving the option to get protection from both viruses in one visit. However, it is more effective for people to have the RSV vaccination on a different day from any flu or COVID-19 vaccinations.

In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:

• those aged 65 years and over
• those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book)
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme including those working for a registered residential care or nursing home, registered domiciliary care providers, voluntary managed hospice providers and those that are employed by Those who receive direct payments (personal budgets) or Personal Health budgets, such as Personal Assistants.

Those eligible for an autumn Covid booster are:

• residents in a care home for older adults
• all adults aged 65 years and over
• persons aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in the Green Book, including pregnant women
• frontline health and social care workers and staff in care homes for older adults