Flu vaccination

Countdown is on to book flu and Covid-19 vaccinations online

The NHS’s national booking system, NHS App and 119 phone service will close for flu and covid vaccine bookings from 15 December, making 14 December the last day to make a booking.

After this date, it will still be possible for those eligible to book their vaccinations through local NHS vaccination services. However, there will be fewer covid appointments, and you may need to travel further.

People can continue booking the covid vaccine through local services until 31 January. After that, covid vaccinations will close, and people will be required to wait for a future seasonal campaign unless they develop a new health condition or start treatment that severely weakens the immune system, in which case a clinician may advise vaccination sooner.

After 15 December, people will still be able to get their free flu jab as they can now, by contacting their GP surgery or by finding a pharmacy that offers the vaccine if you're 18 or over.

The flu vaccine offer will close after 31 March. However, getting it as soon as possible is encouraged to ensure protection over the colder months when flu is often in greater circulation.

If you are an unpaid carer looking after someone who is ill, elderly, frail or disabled, you can ask for a flu jab at your GP practice or take a Surrey Carers Flu Jab Voucher to a pharmacy offering the free NHS flu vaccine. 

The vouchers provide the assurance that you are known to carers services here in Surrey and are therefore entitled to a free vaccination. These are available from October through to March.

We are encouraging all unpaid carers in Surrey to take up the offer of a free flu vaccination as a priority, not only to protect themselves and the people they care for, but to help reduce hospitalisations during a time that we expect will be especially busy for the NHS and social care.

Get your Surrey Carers Flu Jab Voucher

Yes of course! If you would like to have a flu vaccine you can pay to have one at your local pharmacy.

Getting a flu vaccine will not protect against Covid-19, however, it can help keep you safe from getting the flu, which in turn will help you stay healthy and well.

If you’ve had COVID-19, it’s still safe to have the flu vaccine, however you may wish to reschedule your appointment if you are currently experiencing a high temperature or acute illness on the day of the appointment. It will still be effective at helping to prevent flu.

For advice and information about the flu vaccination, visit the NHS website.

If you have any of the Covid-19 symptoms, then please do not attend your flu vaccination appointment. This can be rescheduled. Please see your booking details for how to amend your appointment or contact your local pharmacy or GP where your appointment has been booked.

Yes. The viruses that cause flu can change every year, which means the flu (and the vaccine) this year may be different from last year.

It’s still important to get your flu vaccine even if you have had flu this autumn. It can help protect you from getting it again.

No. The flu vaccine that is given to adults is made from dead flu virus and cannot cause the infection. The flu vaccine that will be given to most children is a live vaccine, but the viruses in it have been weakened so they can not cause flu. You may get some side effects after the vaccination but these are quite mild like a slightly raised temperature or aching muscles for a couple of days or an ache in the arm where the injection was given. Other reactions are very rare.

The flu vaccine will help prevent you getting the flu and is your best protection against the virus. It will not stop all flu viruses but if you do get flu after vaccination, it’s likely to be milder and shorter-lived than it would otherwise have been. It takes the immune response about two weeks to fully develop after vaccination.

The flu vaccine will provide protection for you for the upcoming flu season. People eligible for flu vaccination should have the vaccine each year.

No unfortunately when you have flu, antibiotics will not help you feel better.

Yes, it's fine to have the flu vaccine while you're taking a course of antibiotics, provided you're not ill with a high temperature.

Operation Vaccination is a campaign to increase awareness in Muslim communities about the importance of getting a flu vaccination this winter 2020-21. The MCB Operation Vaccination webpage has a range of information and resources.

A flu jab will help protect both you and your baby.

There is good evidence that pregnant women have a higher chance of developing complications if they get flu, particularly in the later stages of pregnancy.

One of the most common complications of flu is bronchitis, a chest infection that can become serious and develop into pneumonia.

If you have flu while you're pregnant, it could cause your baby to be born prematurely or have a low birthweight, and may even lead to stillbirth or death.

Yes. Studies have shown that it's safe to have a flu vaccine during any stage of pregnancy, from the first few weeks up to your expected due date.

Women who have had a flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives.

It's safe for women who are breastfeeding to have a flu vaccine if they're eligible (for example, because of a long-term health condition).

The best time to have a flu vaccine is in the autumn, before flu starts circulating. If you've missed this time, you can be vaccinated later in the winter although it's best to get it earlier.

Do not worry if you find that you're pregnant later in the flu season – you can have the vaccine then if you have not already had it.

Contact your midwife or GP surgery to find out where you can get a flu vaccine. It's a good idea to get vaccinated as soon as possible after the vaccine becomes available in September.

In some areas, you can get a flu vaccine at an antenatal clinic. In others, you'll need an appointment at a GP surgery or a pharmacy that offers the flu vaccine.

Yes, because the viruses that cause flu change every year. This means the flu strains the vaccines are designed to prevent this year may be different from last year.

If you had the flu vaccine during the last flu season because you were pregnant (same pregnancy or a previous pregnancy), or because you're in a vulnerable group, you need to have it again this year.

Find out more about how the flu vaccine works.

No. Flu jabs do not contain any live viruses, so cannot cause flu. Some people get a slightly raised temperature and aching muscles for a couple of days afterwards, and you may feel sore at the injection site.

Find out more about flu vaccine side effects.

Yes, you can have a flu vaccine at the same time as the whooping cough vaccine, but do not delay your flu jab so you can have both at the same time.

Pregnant women are at risk of severe illness from flu at any stage of pregnancy, so you need to have a flu vaccine as soon as possible.

The best time to get vaccinated against whooping cough is from 16 weeks up to 32 weeks of pregnancy. 

If you miss having the vaccine for any reason, you can still have it up until you go into labour.

Find out more about the whooping cough vaccine in pregnancy.

Talk to a GP as soon as possible. If you do have flu, there's a prescribed medicine you can take that might help, or reduce your risk of complications, but it needs to be taken very soon after symptoms appear.

You should have the flu vaccine if you're pregnant to help protect you and your baby. It's safe to have the flu vaccine at any stage of pregnancy from the first few weeks up to your expected due date. Women who have had the flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies, which lasts for the first few months of their lives. It's safe for women who are breastfeeding to have the vaccine.