Covid will 'continue to surprise us', warns health official

Covid volition "continue to astonishment us", England's lawman main aesculapian serviceman has warned up of different tricky wintertime for the NHS.

Dr Thomas Waite says the illness does not yet behave successful a seasonal way, making it little predictable than different wintertime illnesses.

He encourages anyone eligible for the escaped flu and/or Covid vaccine to get the jabs and support their health.

Last twelvemonth the flu vaccine stopped 25,000 radical from being hospitalised.

But scientists estimation that past wintertime successful England, flu inactive caused much than 14 1000 excess deaths and Covid caused much than 10 thousand.

Who tin get the Covid vaccine?

The flu and Covid vaccination programmes had been owed to commencement this month, but really began successful September due to the fact that of concerns implicit the new Covid variant, BA.2.86.

You tin person a Covid vaccine if you are:

You cannot bargain immoderate Covid vaccines privately successful the UK.

The flu jab is disposable free to immoderate groups of adults - they see anyone who is pregnant, implicit 65, definite carers and anyone who has peculiar semipermanent wellness conditions.

Children tin get the vaccine arsenic a nasal spray from the property of two, oregon from six months if they person a peculiar wellness condition.

Data from Australia shows that this year's flu vaccine volition connection bully extortion for radical surviving successful the UK.

NHS England says this year's vaccination programme is disconnected to "a truly bully start".

Some 10% of those eligible for the Covid booster person had a jab already and 10% of those eligible for the flu 1 person had theirs.

But Dr Waite wants to spot much vaccine uptake, peculiarly among children, large women and those whose wellness conditions enactment them much astatine risk.

He says trying to accidental what volition hap this wintertime is "crystal shot territory".

"Flu worries me. Australia saw a ample question past year, and different aboriginal question this year," helium said.

"I deliberation it's hard to accidental astatine this constituent precisely what Covid is going to do… but I don't uncertainty that Covid successful peculiar volition proceed to astonishment us."

You tin publication your assignment for either vaccine successful England via the NHS England website, utilizing the NHS England app, by dialling 119 oregon responding to an invitation from your GP.