Over 50s can now book for Covid booster and flu jabs
People aged 50 and over can now get their vital free COVID-19 autumn booster and flu jabs after the NHS opened bookings on the National Booking Service.
More than seven million people have already had an autumn top-up. With covid infections and hospitalisations rising in recent weeks, the NHS is inviting anyone eligible to come forward as soon as possible.
The NHS is also reminding people that the offer of autumn booster or flu jab, regardless of when you were first invited, remains open. As well as people aged 50 and over, frontline health and social care workers and those at higher risk due to a weakened immune system, a learning disability or pregnancy, are also being asked to come forward. A full list of people eligible for vaccinations is included below.
Approximately 26 million people are eligible for an autumn Covid-19 booster, while as many as 33 million people can get an annual flu jab
Booking a COVID-19 vaccination
For more details and how to book an appointment please visit our COVID-19 section or visit: NHS website
Anyone eligible can book an appointment online or by calling 119.
Booking a flu vaccine
The public can still book flu vaccinations as usual through their GP practice or by visiting one of the many thousands of participating community pharmacies.
For a full list of pharmacies offering a free NHS flu vaccination, including those not part of the NHS pilot, please visit the nhs.uk website.
Pharmacies are taking appointment bookings for flu vaccination online.
More information on the NHS England website.
Groups eligible for the free flu and COVID-19 vaccines this year are:
Free flu jab
- All adults aged 50 years and over
- Pregnant women (see Flu Vaccine in Pregnancy)
- Those in long-stay residential care homes
- Carers
- Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- Frontline health and social care workers
- All children aged 2 to 10 years on 31st Aug 2022 (see Nasal Flu vaccine)
- Those aged 6 months to 65 years in at-risk groups, including people with the following health conditions: *Respiratory (lung) diseases, including asthma *Heart disease, kidney disease or liver disease *Neurological (brain or nerve) conditions including learning disability *Diabetes (see a short film of a woman with Type 1 diabetes talking about why she gets the flu vaccine) *A severely weakened immune system (immunosuppression), a missing spleen, sickle cell anaemia or coeliac disease *Being seriously overweight (BMI of 40 and above
Free COVID jab
- All adults aged 50 years and over
- Pregnant women
- Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults
- Persons aged 16 to 49 years who are carers
- Persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression
- Frontline health and social care workers
- Persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group, as set out in the Green Book, chapter 14a, tables 3 and 4