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Boots has stopped accepting reservations from under 65s who want the flu vaccine after supplies ran out after a record number of requests.
The company said more people than ever had booked in advance to get the flu shot, following a government campaign to vaccinate people to reduce pressure on the NHS as the country enters a second wave of the flu crisis. coronavirus.
Boots has paused new bookings for those under 65, although younger people who are already dating can still attend.
A Boots spokesperson said: “We have been closely monitoring our stock levels, and this weekend we made the decision to stop taking new stocks for our NHS under-65 flu vaccination and private services. This is to ensure that we can vaccinate patients who have already booked their appointments with us. “
“We can still continue to support the NHS over 65s flu vaccination service due to the availability of stocks of the trivalent vaccine, which the NHS recommends for people 65 and older.”
It comes shortly after the people Flu shots are advised to help protect against the “double jeopardy” of flu and coronavirus. Having the flu and Covid-19 together significantly increases the risk of death, government scientists said. They urged all people at risk of contracting or transmitting the flu to get vaccinated in the coming weeks and months.
Professor Yvonne Doyle, England’s chief medical officer for Public Health, said flu and other respiratory viruses would be circulating this winter. The flu kills between 4,000 and 22,000 people each year, and the death toll last year reached 8,000.
“If you think you have the flu or Covid, stay home and isolate yourself to protect yourself, you would be very miserable, but also to protect others,” said Doyle.
People have been commenting on social media about the restrictions. One person tweeted: “I’ve been trying to inject a flu shot to those under 65. Nothing available in GP, pharmacies or Boots. Nobody knows when to expect stocks. Lloyds Pharmacy Online accepts reservations, but costs, regardless of eligibility, and the first appointment shown was October 12. What’s going on?”
The government has purchased a record number of flu vaccine doses, with 30,000,000 arriving in batches. Letters from GPs calling for seniors and people with medical conditions to get vaccinated are expected this week.
