The national Covid-19 booster and flu vaccination programme will be rolled out in Devon from the start of October.(Image: PA)

Devon's most vulnerable urged to get Covid and flu jabs this winter

The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will begin rolling out the national Covid-19 booster and flu vaccination programme from the start of October

by · DevonLive

Devon's most vulnerable are being urged to get Covid and flu jabs this winter. Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust will begin rolling out the national Covid-19 booster and flu vaccination programme from the start of October.

Health bosses say Covid and flu spread more easily in winter when people spend more time together indoors. They say those who are vaccinated and catch flu or Covid are likely to have milder symptoms and recover faster, reducing the risk of hospitalisation.

The winter vaccine programme focuses on those at greatest risk of getting seriously ill. For residents in care homes, vaccinations will begin from September 23.

Carolyn Mills, chief nursing officer at the Royal Devon, said: "Vaccination plays a huge part in keeping the most vulnerable people well through the autumn and winter, and we urge everyone who is eligible to come forward and have theirs."

Those eligible for vaccinations this year are:

Covid-19

  • Adults aged 65 years and over
  • Residents in a care home for older adults
  • Individuals aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk groups
  • Frontline NHS and social care workers, and those working in care homes for older people

Flu

  • Children aged two and three years on 31 August 2024
  • Eligible school-aged children (Reception to Year 11)
  • Individuals aged six months to 64 years in a clinical risk group
  • Pregnant women
  • Adults aged 65 years and over
  • Those in long-stay residential care homes
  • Carers, those in receipt of carer’s allowance or main carer of an older or disabled person
  • Household contacts of immunocompromised individuals
  • Frontline health and social care workers

How to get your Covid and flu vaccine in Devon

The national booking system for public clinics will open on Monday 23 September, for appointments from Thursday, October 3 to Friday, December 20.

Those eligible may be invited for their booster or be offered it by their GP. Bookings can also be made using the NHS app. You can find your nearest walk-in vaccination site from the NHS website.

Details of vaccination sites in Devon can be found here and there is also an online vaccination clinic calendar for information on clinic dates.