News and media releases from the Surrey Heartlands area
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Last chance to book your winter vaccines before Christmas
With less than a week left to book Covid and flu vaccinations online, Surrey Heartlands NHS is urging everyone still eligible to get protected – as figures on the number of hospitalisations in the region are released.
Newly available NHS Covid vaccination data shows that despite NHS South East staff administering a combined total of more than 4 million vaccinations against the diseases between 3 October and 1 December, last week saw a daily average of 281 people being hospitalised with either Covid or flu in the region.
Nationally there has been a 350% increase in flu cases in hospital compared to same week last year.
In Surrey Heartlands, 52% of the eligible population have received their seasonal Covid booster, 47% have received their Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine and 70% of those over 65 years old have received their flu vaccination.
As the huge effort to help reduce rates of Covid, flu and RSV this winter continues, people have until the end of 19 December to book Covid and flu vaccination appointments on the NHS online booking system (Covid, flu vaccination), NHS App and 119 phone service.
After this time, it will still be possible for people to book vaccinations through local NHS vaccination services, like pharmacies or walk-in sites. However, there will be fewer Covid appointments, and people may have to travel further.
Professor Andrew Rhodes, Joint Chief Medical Officer for Surrey Heartlands Integrated Care System (ICS), said:
Unless more of those eligible to receive the flu and Covid vaccines come forward, we are likely to see more cases and more hospitalisations than we saw last year.
It is still early in the season, so there is still time to change this and reduce the impact of these viruses on our communities in time for Christmas, but time is running out. It’s vital that those eligible who have still not been vaccinated come forward soon before the NHS booking system closes.
You are eligible for a Covid and flu vaccination if you:
- are aged 65 or over
- are pregnant
- are aged 6 months to 64 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book)
- live in a care home for older adults
- are a frontline health and social care worker, including those working in care homes for older adults
In addition to the above, those also eligible for a flu vaccine include:
- carers in receipt of carer’s allowance or are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- all children aged 2 or 3 years on 31 August 2024
- primary school aged children (from Reception to Year 6) and secondary school aged children (from Year 7 to Year 11)
- all children in clinical risk groups aged from 6 months to less than 18 years
- frontline 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 119 phone service will remain open until 31 January 2025 for any queries.