2025/26 Autumn Flu and Covid Vaccines

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We will be inviting our eligible patients for their autumn Flu and Covid booster vaccines as soon as the vaccines are available and delivered to us. This season’s programme starts on 1st October.

Flu is not just a heavy cold. Flu occurs every year, usually in the winter, which is why it’s sometimes called seasonal flu. It’s a highly infectious disease with symptoms that come on very quickly. Colds are much less serious and usually start gradually with a stuffy or runny nose and a sore throat. A bad bout of flu can be much worse than a heavy cold.

The most common symptoms of flu are fever, chills, headache, aches and pains in the joints and muscles, and extreme tiredness. Healthy individuals usually recover within 2 to 7 days, but for some the disease can lead to hospitalisation, permanent disability or even death.

Flu vaccines help protect against the main types of flu virus circulating.

In June the Government accepted final Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) advice and announced the cohort eligibility regarding a COVID-19 Autumn/Winter 2025/26 vaccination programme.

The following cohorts are announced and authorised to be eligible to receive a Flu vaccination:

From 1st September 2025:

• pregnant women

• all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2025

• all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years

• (Primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6) and Secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11) will get their vaccines at school or the catch up service at Durrington Health Centre Tel:01273 696011 ext. 8533)

From October 2025

  • those aged 65 years and over
  • those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, Influenza chapter 19 )
  • 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
  • front line 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

The COVID-19 vaccines are offered because viruses change and protection fades over time. It’s important to top up your protection if you’re eligible.

The announced and authorised cohorts eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine are:
• Residents in a care home for older adults
• All adults aged 75 years and over
• Persons aged 6 months and over who are immunosuppressed, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the COVID-19 chapter of the Green Book