Image credit: Getty/Bernard Chantal
Winter vaccine roll-out is under way in the NHS, with flu, Covid, shingles and RSV jabs being offered to those eligible.
As we all spend more time indoors over winter, viruses and bugs spread more easily, so it’s a good time to make sure you’re protected. The age at which you’re invited for different vaccines varies and they are, of course, all optional.
Manchester-based GP partner Helen Wall told Saga Magazine that it’s important to take up vaccines if you’re offered them.
“We think that as you get older, your immune system becomes less able to respond to attack, so you could come into contact with something that can make you feel quite poorly,” says Dr Wall.
“The JCVI are constantly looking at the data, what the virulent strains are and who’s going into hospital and they tell the NHS who should be eligible for the latest vaccines.”
You might be offered the flu and Covid vaccine at the same appointment, and that’s perfectly safe. They’re usually given in different arms.
There aren’t any combined jabs that target different seasonal viruses in the same injection.
“If you’ve got a cold or are on antibiotics it’s fine to go ahead, but if you have a fever, it’s recommended you delay your vaccine. It’s not that it’s dangerous, but a fever is a sign your immune system is dealing with something already, so it could be the vaccine won’t work as effectively so it’s best to wait,” says Dr Wall.
If you’re over 65 – or will be by 31 March 2025 – you can get the free NHS flu vaccine. The adult flu jab is also available for people with certain long-term health conditions, those who live in a care home, carers, and health and care workers.
Last year, over-50s in Scotland were also eligible, as well as teachers, but this is no longer the case – eligibility for the jab is now very similar across the UK.
If you have questions about the flu vaccine, you’re not alone.
“People say: ‘I’ve had the flu vaccine every year for the last 20 years – why do I need another one?’ But you don’t know which flu strains you’ve been vaccinated against, which is why you’ll need it this year,” says Dr Wall.
“If you have had flu earlier on in the year, it might not be a strain that’s likely to come this winter. The vaccine is formulated to be applicable to what our winter flu season will look like.”
People also want to know if the flu jab will give them flu, but the answer is no. “There’s no live flu in the injectable version, therefore it’s absolutely impossible for it to give you flu,” says Dr Wall.
“It may be that you feel achey or have a fever - a common side effect of all vaccines - but that should pass in a couple of days.”
There are several ways to check if you’re eligible and book:
If you’re not eligible for a free flu vaccine, some pharmacies are offering it privately. Boots is offering it for £21.95 (£26.95 in Jersey), Superdrug has it for £19.95 (or £9.95 if you have a Health & Beautycard – which is free to get) and it’s £16 at Tesco Pharmacy.
You’ll be eligible for a Covid vaccine – an “autumn booster” – if you’re 65 or over. You’re also eligible if you’re a frontline NHS or care worker, or live in a care home for older adults, or are at increased risk of getting seriously ill with the virus, for example if you have a serious lung condition, a heart problem or a weakened immune system, for example if you're having chemotherapy.
Even if you’ve had Covid before, it can still cause an unpleasant illness. Getting vaccinated also reduces the chances that you’ll pass it on to other people.
Dr Wall says: “If you’re older, your immunity wanes more quickly than a younger person’s, so it’s really important that even if you were vaccinated in spring you get another one to keep you safe this winter.”
If you’re not eligible for the NHS vaccine, it’s not particularly cheap. With that in mind, our expert says that the question of whether it's worth paying for depends how concerned you are and whether you can afford it.
“If you’re outside the eligible group but worried about Covid, you can get the vaccine privately, but it comes down to your level of concern,” says Dr Wall. “If you’ve had Covid badly before and you can afford the vaccine, I’d support that, but I don’t think people who aren’t eligible should be worried.”
You can book an appointment online or in the NHS app or find a walk-in vaccination centre in England.
The Covid vaccine is available privately for those not in an eligible group. Boots is offering it for £98.95, and local pharmacies set their own prices.
The NHS recommends the one-off shingles vaccine for all adults aged 70 to 79, or over-50s who have a severely weakened immune system. You’ll also be offered it if you turned 65 on or after 1 September 2023 (if you turned 65 before that you’ll have to wait until you’re 70).
Two doses are given, between six and 12 months apart. You won’t need the shingles vaccine again after that. Although you won’t be eligible if you’re in your 80s or 90s, it’s likely you’ve already been offered the vaccine, as it’s been used in the UK since 2013.
“Shingles is the same virus as chickenpox, so it stays dormant in our system,” explains Dr Wall. “If you’re stressed, run down or have other illnesses the virus can resurface as shingles. It makes you feel tired and unwell, but generally fit people can get back on their feet.
“But if you’re a bit older or immunocompromised, it can lead to complications such as pneumonia, blindness and deafness. You’re also more prone to get postherpetic neuralgia, which is an overactivation of the nerves which gives you constant pain where you had shingles.”
Speak to your GP surgery to book an appointment if you’re in the eligible age group.
If you’re over 50 but not eligible for the NHS vaccine, you can also pay privately from Boots, Superdrug and private clinics. It’s not cheap, though, at over £400 for the two doses you’ll need.
It’s offered on the NHS to those most at risk of complications, so if you’re not eligible on the NHS but are eligible to pay privately (most likely because you’re over 50 but under 65), it’s down to you whether you feel it’s a good investment.
This year, the NHS is offering the RSV vaccine to people aged between 75 and 79. If you turned 80 since 1 September, you’re also eligible until 31 August 2025, but the RSV vaccine is not available for those over 80.
At the moment, it’s a one-off vaccine. “Because most people have had RSV at least once in their lives, this is likely to be a boost to their protection on top of their natural immunity,” says Dr Wall.
In most people, the RSV causes a cough, cold and sore throat, but it can lead to more serious illnesses, such as pneumonia, and this is more likely if you’re older. It’s estimated to cause nearly 8,000 deaths a year in over-65s in the UK.
Since we published our article about the RSV vaccine, some readers have expressed concern about it being a new vaccine. The vaccine used in the UK has been rigorously tested in large-scale clinical trials. It works in a similar way to the shingles vaccine (apart from the fact that it’s a single dose) and is not an RNA vaccine.
If you’re in the eligible age group and haven’t had a call or text from your GP surgery offering the RSV vaccine, give them a call to book.
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