South west Londoners eligible for flu and Covid-19 jabs are being urged to get “winter strong” by taking up the offer well before the festive season when both viruses are expected to peak.
Nearly 250,000 people have received the flu vaccine already in south west London with almost 170,000 taking up the Covid booster but there are still more in vulnerable groups who remain at risk.
As part of a drive to encourage those eligible but still unvaccinated to come forward, TV doctor and former Gladiator Dr Zoe Williams is fronting a major new national marketing campaign that launched at the start of this month.
If you are eligible, it’s because you are at higher risk of severe illness, so now is the time to get protected, before winter arrives.
Local GP Dr Nicola Jones
Adverts encouraging people to ‘get winter strong’ – with gladiatorial creatives and copy – will appear on TV on demand, radio and billboards, with further content across social media and in newspapers throughout the campaign, which runs to mid-December.
For the flu and Covid-19 vaccines, the campaign targets pregnant women and those with ongoing health conditions, as these groups have more recently had lower vaccine uptake despite being at higher risk. The campaign also aims to engage parents of children aged 2 and 3 (on 31 August) to get their children vaccinated against flu.
Local GP Dr Nicola Jones said: “As the weather turns colder and with people spending longer inside as nights draw in, respiratory viruses spread more easily and usually reach their peak over the festive and new year period.
“Getting the flu and Covid vaccines can help prepare your immune system, helping to make you winter strong and better able to fight off these illnesses if they come your way.
“If you are eligible, it’s because you are at higher risk of severe illness, so now is the time to get protected, before winter arrives. There are thousands of sites open across south west London and eligible adults can book both vaccines online or through the NHS app quickly.”
NHS teams are delivering Covid seasonal jabs at around 100 pharmacies in Merton, Wandsworth, Kingston, Richmond, Sutton and Croydon as well as at local community clinics and GP practices.
Find a walk-in vaccination clinic
Anyone eligible can also book their Covid vaccination at nhs.uk, by downloading the NHS app or by calling 119 for free if they cannot get online.
Those eligible for a seasonal Covid-19 vaccine are:
- aged 65 years old or over (you need to be 65 years old by 31 March 2024)
- aged six months to 64 years old and are at increased risk
- living in a care home for older adults
- a frontline health or social care worker
- aged 16 to 64 years old and are a carer
- aged 12 to 64 years old and live with someone with a weakened immune system
In line with advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, those eligible for a flu vaccine this year include:
- People aged 65 years and over
- those aged six months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups – as defined by the Green Book, chapter 19 (Influenza)
- pregnant women
- all children aged two or three on 31 August 2023
- school-aged children (from Reception to Year 11)
- those in long-stay residential care homes
- carers in receipt of carers’ allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
- close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
- frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme.