London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Mar 06, 2026

Covid and flu jabs could be given at same time in the autumn

Covid and flu jabs could be given at same time in the autumn

People in Wales could receive Covid boosters and flu jabs at the same time this autumn, Welsh government has said.

Health boards have been asked to look into co-administering the jabs, which the deputy chief medical officer for vaccines said would be "quite a feat".

Flu jabs are often given in GP surgeries while Covid jabs have mostly been given in mass vaccination centres.

Dr Gill Richardson said a number of the large jab centres would close but some smaller sites may be kept open.

The Welsh government's plan is for the Covid rollout to become part of an existing immunisation programme.

It includes moving away from an emergency response to the pandemic and looking at how to deliver the Covid booster like other seasonal jabs.

Dr Richardson said delivering both jabs at the same time could reduce pressure on primary care settings, such as GP surgeries.

"We know that you can give the flu vaccine and Covid vaccine at the same time in different arms," she said.

"We know the early flu strains as they emerge in the east, those viruses are examined and the flu vaccine is affected so a new flu vaccine is developed every year.

"Depending on the timing of that being available, I think there could well be co-administration for many people and that would be an ideal."

Vaccines by numbers: The latest facts and figures


*  There are about 350,000 people in Wales who qualify for a second booster jab, out of those aged over 75, in care homes or severely immunosuppressed

*  Nearly 6.8 million vaccine doses have been given out since the programme started in December 2020

*  Wales has reached nearly 80% of its total population with a first dose and 75.2% with a second dose - just behind Scotland in reaching the most of its population.


*  For boosters/third doses, both Wales and Scotland have reached 87% of those eligible. That's 61.7% of the total population. Globally, that places Wales sixth among nations of more than a million at reaching the highest proportion of population

*  The programme, as it stands, has slowed down considerably since a burst of booster vaccinations in the three weeks before Christmas

*  Boosters are now averaging about 1,500 a day, compared with 50,000 at the peak

*  Just over 16,200 vaccines were given out in the last week

Throughout the pandemic, leisure centres and a former children's toy shop were transformed into mass vaccination centres to help deliver the vaccine to as many people as possible.

But many of these will close soon with some smaller ones retained by health boards as a precaution.

The spring roll-out of a fourth dose of the Covid jab will be for people aged 75 and over, care home residents and those aged over 12 who are immuno-suppressed.

A further booster is likely to be offered to these groups during the autumn.

'Saved countless lives'


The British Medical Association (BMA) in Wales welcomed the autumn move, but expressed some concerns over how surgeries will manage to deliver a fourth vaccine to all priority groups during the spring.

Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, Dr Phil White, chairman of the BMA's Welsh GP committee, said:"While GPs expect, and are willing, to play a role in Covid vaccine booster campaigns, we have heard very little detail about Welsh government's April booster plans.

"Later in the year it would appear sensible to give people both their flu jab and a Covid vaccine booster at the same time, as two separate jabs.

"GPs will be seeing many of their most vulnerable patients to give them the flu jab, so this strategy would help keep patients safe while also complimenting the other support GPs provide."

Health Minister Eluned Morgan said the coronavirus vaccines had "saved countless lives and given us the freedom and confidence to restart our lives in the midst of an ongoing global health emergency".

She added: "This strategy sets out our plans for 2022 and beyond, including a commitment to deliver a regular Covid-19 vaccination programme while planning for any potential surge capacity, should we need to, in the case of a new pandemic wave or a new coronavirus variant."


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Iceland Supermarket Drops Trademark Challenge Against Icelandic Government in Long-Running Naming Dispute
UK Defence Secretary Visits Cyprus Following Scrutiny of Britain’s Response to Drone Attacks
Questions Grow Over Britain’s Military Readiness as Response to Iran Conflict Draws Scrutiny
UK Offers Failed Asylum Seeker Families Up to Forty Thousand Pounds to Leave Voluntarily
Saharan Dust Could Bring ‘Blood Rain’ to Parts of the UK as Weather Systems Shift
UK Deploys Additional Typhoon Fighter Jets to Qatar and Helicopters to Cyprus Amid Rising Middle East Tensions
Experts Urge Britain to Accelerate Renewable Energy Push as Global Conflicts Drive Up Costs
British Public Shows Strong Reluctance to Join Wider War in Iran
First UK Evacuation Flight Departs Middle East After Lengthy Delay
United Kingdom Imposes New Visa Requirements on Travelers from St. Lucia and Nicaragua
Iran Conflict Strains U.S.–U.K. Alliance as Trump and Starmer Clash Over Military Strategy
UK Interest Rates Could Rise Above Four Percent Again if Energy Shock Continues, Think Tank Warns
Starmer Defends Britain’s Iran Strategy as Badenoch Urges Stronger Military Support
Labour MP Says She Saw No Sign Husband Broke Law After Arrest in China Espionage Investigation
UK Jobless Rate Overtakes Italy’s for First Time in Years as Labour Market Weakens
United Kingdom Suspends Student Visas for Four Countries in Unprecedented Immigration Move
Campaigners Warn UK Student Visa Ban Could Push Migrants Toward Dangerous Channel Crossings
First U.K. Charter Flight for Stranded Nationals Set to Depart Oman Amid Middle East Crisis
France and United Kingdom Deploy Warships to Eastern Mediterranean as Middle East Conflict Escalates
U.K. Arrests Three Men Including Lawmaker’s Partner in Suspected China Espionage Investigation
Trump Says UK–US ‘Special Relationship’ Is Diminished Amid Middle East Dispute
UK Economic Forecasts Face Fresh Strain from Middle East Conflict and Rising Energy Costs
UK Reaffirms Close US Ties After Trump’s Public Criticism
Reeves Stresses Stability and Fiscal Discipline in UK Budget Update as Growth Outlook Shifts
UK Deploys Royal Navy Destroyer HMS Dragon to Cyprus After Drone Strike on RAF Base
Green Party Surges Past Labour in New UK Poll as Traditional Party Support Crumbles
Majority of Britons Oppose U.S. Use of UK Military Bases in Iran Conflict
UK Intensifies Evacuation Efforts from Oman, Working with Airlines to Boost Flight Capacity
Trump Condemns UK and Spain in Unusually Sharp Rift Over Iran Military Action
Trump Repeats UK Claims That Diverge from Verified Facts Amid Diplomatic Strain
UK Arrests Prominent Figures Linked to Epstein Network as Questions Mount Over US Action
Trump Says UK ‘Took Far Too Long’ to Approve Use of Airbases for Iran Strikes
Scope of Britain’s Role in the Expanding Middle East Conflict Comes Under Scrutiny
Trump Says He Is ‘Very Disappointed’ in Starmer Over Iran Comments
U.S. Embassy in Riyadh Struck by Drones Amid Escalating Iran Conflict
Starmer Confronts Strategic Test After Drone Strike Near British Base in Cyprus
Rolls-Royce Chief Signals Openness to Germany Joining UK-Led Fighter Jet Programme
UK Stocks Slip as Escalating Iran Conflict Triggers Global Market Selloff
UK Overhauls Asylum System to Make Refugee Status Temporary
Starmer Warns of ‘Reckless’ Iranian Strikes Amid Escalating Regional Tensions
British Base in Cyprus Targeted as Drones Intercepted Amid Expanding Iran Conflict
Starmer Diverges from Trump on Iran Strategy, Rejects ‘Regime Change from the Skies’
U.S. and Israel Intensify Strikes on Iran as Conflict Expands to Lebanon and Gulf States
Violent Pro-Iranian Protesters Storm U.S. Consulate in Karachi
Missile Debris Sparks Fires at Dubai’s Jebel Ali Port Near Palm Jumeirah
Iran Strikes U.S. Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain Amid Wider Gulf Retaliation
When the State Replaces the Parent: How Gender Policy Is Redefining Custody and Coercion
Bill Clinton Denies Knowing Woman in Hot Tub Photo During Closed-Door Epstein Deposition
Former U.S. President Bill Clinton Testifies on Ties to Jeffrey Epstein Before Congressional Oversight Committee
Dyson Reaches Settlement in Landmark UK Forced Labour Case
×