It’s not ‘just’ the flu
Published: 28 September 2020
Protect yourself and others this winter
This winter, it's more important than ever to play your part in keeping yourself and those who may be more at risk of becoming unwell safe. A flu vaccination is available every year to help protect against the risk of flu and its complications - it's particularly important for those in at-risk groups and this year more groups of people are now eligible for a free flu vaccination.
Who is eligible for the free flu vaccination?
New groups:-
- children in school year 7 (in secondary school)
- household contacts of those on the NHS Shielded Patient List
- health and social care workers
These groups are in addition to:-
- people aged 65 years or over
- those aged from six months to less than 65 years of age, in a clinical risk group
- all pregnant women (including those women who become pregnant during the flu season)
- close contacts of individuals with a weakened immunity system
- all children aged 2-3 years, and all primary school aged children
- people living in long-stay residential care homes or other long-stay care facilities
- carers, those who are in receipt of a carer's allowance, or who are the main carer of an older or disabled person (note: for unpaid carers (family/friends), Action for Carers provide more information on the Surrey Carers flu voucher scheme)
Those who are eligible, will be contacted by their GP and can get the vaccine free of charge from their GP practice or local pharmacy.
Please note – people aged between 50 and 64 who are not in a clinical at-risk group may also be offered a free flu vaccination later in the year, providing there is enough vaccine available. This is to ensure that those who are most at-risk are vaccinated first.
Staying as healthy as you can during the winter months, can also reduce the risk of health complications, If you would like to find out more about the vaccination programme and for details on how else you can protect yourself and loved ones this winter, visit the Staying safe and well this winter Healthy Surrey webpage.
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