Millions may have to wait until December to receive a flu jab
MILLIONS of flu jabs may not be offered until close to Christmas, despite fears of an NHS winter crisis, The Daily Telegraph can reveal.
Ministers have promised “the biggest flu vaccination programme in history” in an attempt to ensure the NHS can cope if it is hit by a “double whammy” of flu and Covid-19 this winter.
They pledged to expand the programme to half the population, with healthy over-50s offered a jab, as well as pensioners, those with underlying health conditions, and young children. But now patients have been told it is likely that they will have to wait until December for the jab – despite the fact the flu season may well start earlier, and amid fears of a second wave of Covid-19. The vaccination programme is due to start this month, with the most vulnerable patients prioritised first.
Government guidance, seen by The Daily Telegraph, says services aim to “extend the vaccine programme in November and December to include the 50- to 64-year- old age group, subject to vaccine supply”.
Patients within this age group – including those with underlying conditions such as type 2 diabetes – have now been told that it is “likely” that vaccinations for such patients will not even start until December.
The government guidance goes on to suggests that flu jabs may not be offered to healthy patients aged 50 to 64 at all. It says only that for this group, the vaccinations “might” be offered – “following prioritisation of other eligible groups and subject to vaccine supply”.
The Royal College of GPS
‘The aim is to extend the programme to 50- to 64-year-olds, subject to supply’
last night urged the Government to provide assurances about whether there are actually sufficient vaccines to provide an expanded programme.
One diabetes patient, aged 63, received a text message from Bounds Green Group Practice in North London, this weekend, stating: “The Government have increased the age range of those entitled to the flu vaccination to include those of 50 years and over. Due to availability of vaccines, the vaccinations for this group will likely commence in December.”
The message also ordered patients not to ring the surgery to make any enquiries about the matter “as this places additional pressure on our phone lines”. The patient, from Haringey, said she was fearful that by the time the practice gave her a jab it would be too far into the flu season to protect her.
“Because I have an underlying condition which makes me vulnerable to Covid and I fall in the new plus-50 age category I thought I was eligible for a flu vaccination on two grounds,” she said. “I was pretty surprised to receive a text message from my practice saying that ‘due to availability of vaccines’, vaccinations ‘will likely commence in December’.”
NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care said patients with diabetes should have been among those who were prioritised for jabs, under the Government’s guidance.
Dr Jonathan Leach, Honorary Secretary for the Royal College of GPS, said it was essential that those in the highest risk groups received their vaccinations. But he said the RCGP was seeking assurances from Government that there is sufficient supply of the vaccine to expand the programme to cover healthy people below the age of 64.
Dr Leach said: “For the extra cohort of patients included in the expanded flu programme, for example 5064-year-olds, we have asked for assurance from the Government that there is enough supply of vaccines to go around.”
The DHSC said the Government had procured additional supplies for the expanded programme, and intended to roll it out to those aged 50 to 64.