Chief nurse issues ‘flu jab SOS’ appeal

England’s chief nursing officer (CNO) has issued an ‘urgent SOS’ appeal to those eligible for a flu vaccination to get their appointment booked in before the worst of the flu season hits.

It comes after Duncan Burton last week warned that this year’s flu season had seen an ‘unusually early’ start – with particular concerns around high record rates of flu among children and young people.

In a fresh appeal today, the CNO said it was only weeks to go before the worst of the flu season typically bites and encouraged those eligible to book an appointment urgently.

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NHS England said 2.4 million vaccination slots would be opened up next week.

Flu vaccines are available for people aged 65 and over, under-65s in clinical risk groups, care home residents, carers, pregnant women, close contacts of those who are immunosuppressed, and frontline health and social care workers, as well as children.

Weekly data from NHS England showed teams across the country have delivered more than 13 million flu vaccines since the rollout began in September.

Meanwhile three in five of all care home residents have now been protected against flu (59.4%) and 2.3 million vaccines have been delivered to eligible children.

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England’s CNO Mr Burton said: ‘With just weeks left to ensure best protection against the worst of the flu season, we are issuing an urgent SOS to the eligible people who have yet to get jabbed this year.

‘It is vital that the public use the over 2.4 million available appointments we have running next week to stamp out this early wave of flu cases and help shield themselves ahead of winter, when viruses tend to circulate and the NHS faces increased pressure on its services.’

NHS England warned Australia – which is often an accurate predictor of what is to come in England – had also just seen its biggest flu season in its history.

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During the October half term, a series of vaccination pop-up sites were run in fire stations and other community spaces in England, meanwhile a new NHS service enabling community pharmacies to administer flu vaccinations to children aged two to three years was launched as a one-season trial from 1 October.

Last year, the NHS delivered more than 18.5 million flu vaccinations to adults and children – including over half a million to two- and three-year-olds.