Fears for pensioners and pregnant women as number accessing early flu jab drops amid supply shortage
- 62.5% of pensioners were vaccinated by November 25, down from 67.9% in 2017
- Experts warn vulnerable people to get the jab because it is the ‘best protection’
- Doctors across England rescheduled appointments after the jab wasn’t delivered
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The number of vulnerable older people getting their flu jab before the start of winter has dropped since last year, official figures show.
Some 62.5 per cent of pensioners had their vaccination in September, October or November compared to 67.9 per cent in the same period in 2017.
This eight per cent drop comes after GPs reportedly turned patients away in recent months because of a shortage of the drug.
And fewer pregnant women had the jab, too, with their coverage level dropping from 41.7 per cent to 39.5 per cent.
Experts are warning old and vulnerable people to get the vaccination before flu season starts, because it’s the best protection against the ‘unpredictable’ virus.
The proportion of pensioners (blue) and pregnant women (red) who had the flu jab by week 48 – the end of November – fell this year from 67.9 per cent to 62.5 per cent for pensioners and 41.7 per cent to 39.5 per cent for pregnant women
A vaccination against influenza is offered for free by the NHS for people over the age of 65, pregnant women, people with certain medical conditions and children between the ages of two and 10
‘We encourage all older adults to get an appointment with their GP or pharmacist by mid-December before flu typically starts to circulate later in the month,’ said Dr Richard Pebody, head of flu for Public Health England, which released the statistics.
‘However, it’s always worth getting vaccinated even if it’s later in winter – it’s the best defence we have against an unpredictable virus.’
There were concerns about the vaccination programme last month when GPs were reportedly turning patients away after receiving their stock in a phased distribution.
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Health officials said that the manufacturer Seqirus, the sole supplier of the new vaccine for over-65s, phased its deliveries to cope with global demand.
But some medics warned they would run out between batches because the supplies had been ordered later than usual.
In November nearly 69 per cent of GPs in a survey said they had experienced a shortage of the jab, forcing them to turn away elderly patients as a result.
One GP in Wiltshire, Dr Melanie Blackman, told GP magazine Pulse she had to reschedule more than 170 appointments.
But last month NHS England reassured people all vaccines have now been delivered as ordered.
And experts are encouraging people eligible for free NHS flu jabs to get the vaccine as soon as possible.
Flu is common and most people can recover quickly on their own, but it can be more serious and potentially deadly for elderly people and those with weak immune systems.
This flu season the elderly are being offered a new vaccine which is said to give them better protection than previous versions.
The adjuvanted trivalent flu vaccine is expected to give better protection to people aged 65 and over by helping the immune system create a stronger response to the vaccine.
A number of at-risk groups are offered the vaccine free on the NHS.
These include people aged 65 and over, younger people with certain medical conditions, pregnant women and children aged two to when they are in school year five.
‘It’s reassuring that uptake among older adults continues to rise week on week and is approaching levels seen last year,’ Dr Pebody added.
‘We expect uptake to continue to increase as the last batches of the adjuvanted flu vaccine have now been delivered to GPs and pharmacies.’
WHERE CAN YOU GET THE FLU JAB? HOW TO GET A VACCINE IN THE UK IN 2018
Flu can be a serious illness. If you become very ill with it, it can cause complications such as pneumonia, kidney failure and inflammation of the heart, brain or muscle.
People at most risk of serious illness or death if they get flu are offered the vaccine on the NHS. Ideally you should have this before the end of December, when flu peaks (it takes around two weeks after the jab for antibodies to develop completely).
At-risk groups include anyone aged 65 and over, people living in long-stay residential care homes, carers and pregnant women.
The vaccine is also offered to anyone aged six months to 65 years with certain conditions, such as diabetes.
It is available via your GP’s surgery.
All children aged two to eight (on August 31, 2017) are also offered the vaccine as a nasal spray. The UK introduced the child vaccination programme in 2013. Last year, the vaccine had 66 per cent effectiveness. Australia does not have a similar programme.
If you do not qualify to have the jab on the NHS, you can pay to get it at a pharmacy.
Well Pharmacy charges £9 to £14 (depending on the number of strains in the vaccine), Superdrug from £9.99, Lloyds Pharmacy £10, Boots £12.99 and Tesco £9.
Older children who fall outside the NHS scheme can get the nasal spray vaccine from some pharmacies such as Well (£23 for those aged between two and 18; this may involve a second dose at least four weeks later for another £23) and the injection for those 12 and over for £9.
Boots offers the jab to those aged 16 and over at £12.99. Tesco offers it to those 12 and over at £9.
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