NHS staff in south west London have delivered almost 270,000 Covid-19 and flu vaccinations as efforts to protect people against a triple virus threat this winter continue to ramp up.
More than 92,00 Covid-19 jabs and almost 175,000 flu vaccinations have been administered in south west London according to the latest season vaccination data up to Sunday 20 October.
Covid-19 vaccinations were rolled out to eligible people on 3 October. Flu jabs have been available for children and pregnant women since 1 September to help stop the virus spreading as schools returned and have now rolled out to all remaining eligible groups. The flu vaccine is the best defence for those most at risk as the weather gets colder and more people gather indoors.
In south west London, staff have worked hard to make vaccinations as easy as possible – like setting up a mobile unit in a Tesco car park, making use of library space to hold pop up clinics and joining forces with voluntary groups to provide jabs at their meetings.
John Byrne, Chief Medical Officer for the NHS in south west London, said: “These figures show just how hard our staff are working to roll out vaccinations as we head towards the colder months, when the pressure on NHS services increases.
“The best defence against these dangerous illnesses is vaccination. There are plenty of sites across south west London ready and waiting to welcome anyone eligible for their jabs – getting protected could keep you out of hospital this winter.”
Elaine Clancy, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS in south west London, said: “If you are invited for a flu, Covid-19 or RSV jab, it’s because you are at greater risk.
“Those with certain long term health conditions, pregnant women, young infants and older people will be among those eligible for some or all of these life-saving vaccines. So, if asked don’t delay – get vaccinated. And if you’re unsure whether you’re eligible or have concerns please do speak with your GP surgery or local pharmacist.”
The RSV jab is available to those aged 75 to 79 and to pregnant women from 28 weeks to protect their child, with evidence showing it could prevent thousands of A&E attendances, hospital admissions and serious cases this winter alone.
In south west London, small grants are being awarded to help local organisations talk to communities about health and wellbeing this winter. The Winter Engagement Fund gives money for activities and events that connect with local people – topics include vaccinations, using local pharmacies and the NHS app.
This comes after small grants were provided to a host of community organisations to promote children’s vaccinations over the summer. Before that community outreach work was done, with community champions and street ambassadors going out and about in areas of low uptake to listen to concerns and explain the benefits of the MMR jab and other childhood immunisations.
Anyone eligible can book a Covid-19 or flu vaccine appointment via the NHS website, NHS app, or by calling 119 for free. The flu vaccine can also be booked by searching online for a local pharmacy and there are walk in sites available to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
You are eligible for a Covid-19 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.