Vaccines are our best protection this winter. It's easy for us to pass on COVID-19 or the flu virus without us knowing.
This winter there are two essential vaccines you may need to protect yourself and your loved ones; The COVID-19 booster and the flu vaccination.
Vaccines are the best protection we have against dangerous viruses like flu and COVID-19.
The flu vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine. It's offered every year on the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu.
A coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccine dose helps improve the protection you have from your first 2 doses of the vaccine. It helps give you longer-term protection against getting seriously ill from COVID-19.
Click the tabs below to find out more about each of this year's important winter vaccinations.
The flu vaccine is a safe and effective vaccine. It's offered every year on the NHS to help protect people at risk of getting seriously ill from flu.
This page is about the flu vaccine for adults.
Find out about the children's flu vaccine
The best time to have the flu vaccine is in the autumn or early winter before flu starts spreading. But you can get the vaccine later.
Flu vaccination is important because:
If you've had COVID-19, it's safe to have the flu vaccine. It will still be effective at helping to prevent flu.
The flu vaccine is given free on the NHS to people who:
You can have the NHS flu vaccine at:
If you do not have your flu vaccine at your GP surgery, you do not have to tell the surgery. This will be done for you.
Find a pharmacy that offers the NHS flu vaccine
It's important to go to your vaccination appointments unless you have symptoms of COVID-19.
The flu vaccine is offered free on the NHS to anyone with a serious long-term health condition, including:
Talk to your doctor if you have a long-term condition that is not in one of these groups. They should offer you the flu vaccine if they think you're at risk of serious problems if you get flu.
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.
Find out more about the flu vaccine in pregnancy
If you're a frontline health and social care worker, your employer should offer you a flu vaccine. They may give the vaccine at your workplace.
You can also have an NHS flu vaccine at a GP surgery or a pharmacy, if you're a health or social care worker employed by a:
You can also have the flu vaccine if you provide health or social care through direct payments or personal health budgets, or both.
Most adults can have the flu vaccine, but you should avoid it if you have had a serious allergic reaction to a flu vaccine in the past.
You may be at risk of an allergic reaction to the flu vaccine injection if you have an egg allergy. This is because some flu vaccines are made using eggs.
Ask a GP or pharmacist for a low-egg or egg-free vaccine.
If you're ill with a high temperature, it's best to wait until you're better before having the flu vaccine.
The flu vaccine gives the best protection against flu.
Flu vaccines help protect against the main types of flu viruses, although there's still a chance you might get flu.
If you do get flu after vaccination, it's likely to be milder and not last as long.
Having the flu vaccine will also stop you spreading flu to other people who may be more at risk of serious problems from flu.
It can take 10 to 14 days for the flu vaccine to work.
Flu vaccines are very safe. All adult flu vaccines are given by injection into the muscle of the upper arm.
Most side effects are mild and only last for a day or so, such as:
Try these tips to help reduce the discomfort:
It's very rare for anyone to have a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to the flu vaccine. If this does happen, it usually happens within minutes.
The person who vaccinates you will be trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.
Information:
Anyone can report a suspected side effect of a vaccine through the Yellow Card Scheme.
There are several types of injected flu vaccine. None of them contain live viruses so they cannot give you flu.
If you're eligible for the flu vaccine on the NHS, you'll be offered one that's most effective for you, depending on your age:
Children aged between 6 months and 2 years who have a long-term health condition are offered an approved injected flu vaccine instead of the nasal spray vaccine.
Find out about the children's nasal spray flu vaccine
Talk to a GP, practice nurse or pharmacist for more information about these vaccines.
Read more about why vaccines are safe and important, including how they work and what they contain.
A coronavirus (COVID-19) booster vaccine dose helps improve the protection you have from your first 2 doses of the vaccine.
It helps give you longer-term protection against getting seriously ill from COVID-19.
Booster vaccine doses will be available on the NHS for people most at risk from COVID-19 who have had a 2nd dose of a vaccine at least 6 months ago.
This includes:
People who are pregnant and in 1 of the eligible groups can also get a booster dose.
Information:
If you're not sure if you have a health condition that puts you at high risk, see who is at high risk from COVID-19.
You'll be offered a booster dose at least 6 months after you had your 2nd dose.
The NHS will let you know when it's your turn to have a booster dose. It's important not to contact the NHS for one before then.
Most people will be invited to book an appointment at a larger vaccination centre, pharmacy, or local NHS service such as a GP surgery.
Frontline health or social care workers can book a booster dose appointment online. You do not need to wait to be contacted by the NHS.
People who work for an NHS trust or a care home will usually get their booster dose through their employer.
You can book your COVID-19 booster vaccine dose online if you are a frontline health or social care worker.
You can also book your booster dose online if you have been contacted by the NHS and you are either:
If you are not a frontline health or social care worker, please wait to be contacted by the NHS before booking your booster dose.
Book your COVID-19 booster vaccine appointment
Most people will be offered a booster dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine or Moderna vaccine.
This means your booster dose may be different from the vaccines you had for your 1st and 2nd doses.
Some people may be offered a booster dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine if they cannot have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine.
Most people who can get a COVID-19 booster vaccine are also eligible for the annual flu vaccine.
If you are offered both vaccines, it's safe to have them at the same time.
Find out more about the flu vaccine
Find out more about the COVID-19 vaccination booster dose on GOV.UK