The health centre team is pleased to announce that we will be offering flu and COVID-19 vaccinations to all eligible patients registered with us. We want to draw your attention to the timing of the vaccinations for different patient groups.
Nationally, flu vaccinations for pregnant women and children will begin on Sunday, 01/09/24. At Chipping Norton Health Centre, the first flu clinics for these patients will start close to this date (more details to follow). We will be offering flu vaccinations to pregnant women and children from September 2024.
As the flu virus begins circulating in children earlier, it’s important to vaccinate children in September to provide them with early protection and to reduce flu transmission to the wider population. The protective effect of the vaccine lasts longer in children than in adults. Pregnant women should be vaccinated to protect themselves and their newborn babies before delivery.
The national flu and COVID-19 vaccination program for all other cohorts will start on Thursday, 03/10/24. The evidence shows that the flu vaccine’s effectiveness can decrease over time in adults. As a result, it is recommended that most adults begin receiving the flu vaccine at the start of October 2024. This timing will help protect vulnerable individuals during the peak flu infection period in December 2024 and early January 2025, providing the best possible protection during this high-risk time.
Co administering – Our first Flu + COVID-19 clinic will begin on Saturday, 05/10/24, and from that day onward, we will administer both vaccinations in one appointment to the following patient groups.
- those aged 65 years and over
- those aged 18 years to under 65 years in clinical risk groups
- those in long-stay residential care homes
- carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- frontline workers in a health or social care setting, 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
We will provide regular updates throughout September and October via Social Media, the website and in the practice. We guarantee that all eligible patients will be offered appointments for Flu and COVID-19 vaccinations at the Health Centre. You will be invited via text/email or phone call. You may be provided with a link to enable you to book your own appointment.
Important information
As we are a Co-administering practice this means that we will be giving the Covid & Flu vaccinations together, at the same time in the same appointment. If you do not wish to have the Covid vaccination we are still able to administer the Flu, however if you choose not to have the flu vaccination (or decide to have it elsewhere) then we CANNOT give the Covid Vaccination to you here at the practice.
Any question, please speak to a member of the Practice team who would be happy to help you.
Yours sincerely,
CNHC Vaccination Team
