
It’s time to book your Flu jab
It’s time to book your Flu jab
Northamptonshire County Council and the Northamptonshire’s Clinical Commissioning Groups are once again urging people to get their flu vaccines booked in as winter approaches.
Flu is a highly infectious viral illness which can lead to complications, hospital admissions and even death. Symptoms of flu include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, headaches, body aches and tiredness. Those people in ‘at risk’ groups are also susceptible to further complications.
Flu has a big impact on NHS winter pressures both in terms of the illness itself and its impact on the wider health and care system due to other complications or staff and carer illness.
The flu vaccine is the most effective way to reduce the occurrence of illness and the unplanned hospital admissions that inevitably follow, particularly in the over 65 year old age group and those with long term health conditions.
This winter, the vaccine is free of charge for the following people:
• All children aged between two and ten on or before 31 August 2019
• Those aged between six months and 64 years in clinical risk groups*
• Pregnant women – women in any trimester of pregnancy
• Those aged 65 years and over
• Those in long-stay residential care homes
• Carers (informal carers who are in receipt of a carer allowance or a main carer of a vulnerable person)
• Frontline staff in direct patient contact working for primary care, community and acute NHS trusts or social care staff employed by a registered residential care/nursing home/domiciliary care provider or voluntary managed hospice provider who are directly involved in the care of vulnerable people are also eligible for free flu vaccinations
People belonging to any of these groups should speak to their GP to book a vaccination, or visit a local pharmacy as they may also provide free flu vaccinations. Frontline staff can also contact their occupational health team.
Anyone in doubt about whether they qualify for a free vaccination should contact their GP.
For more information and myth busting on the flu vaccination, visit
https://www3.northamptonshire.