Influenza ("Flu") & Covid (Dual Vaccination)

You can check who the NHS will provide a vaccine for here:

• https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/flu-vaccine/
• https://www.nhs.uk/vaccinations/covid-19-vaccine/

You can still get a flu vaccine from us privately whether or not you are elligible for it free on the NHS.

The nasal flu vaccine is routinely offered by the NHS for children. It is not usually available privately, but sometimes surplus supplies from the NHS campaign become accessible for private use. Please contact us later in teh flu season if you would like to check if any has been made available to us.

The flu virus changes each year, so annual vaccination is recommended. Protection from the vaccine also wanes after around 6 months, meaning last year’s dose may not protect you through the following winter. For the best protection, it’s advised to have your vaccine in the autumn, so immunity is strongest during the peak flu season.

Most people can benefit from protection against flu, and vaccination is particularly recommended for older adults, pregnant women, young children, and people with certain long-term health conditions or weakened immune systems.

COVID vaccination is particularly important for people at greater risk of becoming seriously unwell, including older adults and people with weakened immune systems or certain underlying health conditions.

Whilst we often use the word flu freely, not every cough, cold or respiratory illness is true flu. Influenza (“flu”) is a viral infection caused by influenza viruses, which primarily affect the nose, throat and lungs.

Symptoms often come on quite suddenly and can be more severe than a common cold, including fever, chills, muscle aches, headache, cough, sore throat and significant tiredness. Although most people recover, flu can occasionally cause serious complications, particularly in people who are more vulnerable.

Flu viruses occur in different strains which change over time. This is why the flu vaccine is updated each year to provide protection against the strains expected to circulate that winter.

COVID-19 is a viral infection caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Like flu, it mainly affects the respiratory system, although it can affect other parts of the body too.

Symptoms vary considerably and can include fever, cough, sore throat, tiredness, headache, muscle aches and changes to taste or smell. Most people recover without serious problems, but COVID-19 can occasionally cause severe illness or longer-lasting symptoms, particularly in people at higher risk.

The virus continues to change and produce new variants, which is why COVID vaccines are periodically updated to provide better protection against currently circulating variants.

TIVe (standard flu vaccine) - A trivalent, egg-based flu vaccine that protects against three influenza strains. It is a standard flu vaccine suitable for many adults. aTIV (enhanced flu vaccine) - Also a trivalent flu vaccine, but it contains an adjuvant which helps the immune system produce a stronger response. It is specifically designed for older adults, whose immune response to standard flu vaccines can be weaker.

In summary: TIVe is a standard flu vaccine, while aTIV is an enhanced vaccine designed to provide improved protection for older adults and is one of the recommended vaccine types for people aged 65 and over.

The 2026/27 flu vaccination season has been unusually challenging across the UK, with vaccine supply more limited than in previous years.

Several factors have contributed, including changes to the flu strains included in this year’s vaccine, manufacturing and supply issues affecting some vaccines, and fewer suppliers providing flu vaccines to the UK market. This has reduced availability and increased the cost of obtaining appropriate vaccines.

Unfortunately, this means our cost of providing private flu vaccinations is higher this year. We have kept our prices as competitive as we reasonably can while continuing to use appropriate UK-licensed vaccines from established suppliers.

We hope that supply and pricing will return to more usual levels in future flu seasons.