By Ben Kerrigan-
British prime minister, Boris Johnson, has today urged the public to get a winter flu jab, as he announced the expansion of the flu vaccination programme across England, in which up to 30 million people receive the jab.
The British Government is aiming to double its winter flu vaccination programme, with free jabs for those aged 50 and over and 11-year-olds.
The free jab is to be extended to high risk groups such as people with asthma, heart disease and diabetes, and anyone living with somebody on the Covid-19 shielded list.
Mr Johnson told Sky News: “We want everybody to get a flu jab in the run-up to this winter and that’s why we’re rolling out the biggest-ever programme of flu immunisation.
“And we’re aiming first of all for schoolchildren up to year seven, for pregnant women, for people over 65, for people who are shielded, but then we will be extending it to people who are 50 to 65.
“Now the reason for doing this is to protect the NHS in the winter months because obviously we have still got Covid, we have still got the threat of a second spike on Covid, and it’s vital therefore to keep that pressure off the NHS by everybody getting a flu jab and I really hope everybody will.”
At the moment, the free NHS flu programme is for people aged 65 and over, pregnant women, people with certain conditions such as kidney disease, asthma or heart disease, and carers or those in care homes.
An estimated 15 million people in England were vaccinated as part of the NHS campaign, far fewer than the 25 million who were invited to have it. This year more than 30m doses have been ordered.
The vaccine will also be available privately in pharmacies and some supermarkets to adults who are not eligible for an NHS jab. It usually costs around £20.
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