London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Aug 24, 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
Prime Minister Andy Burnham to Give Ukraine Classified Storm Shadow Blueprints for Domestic Missile Production
UK Graduate Job Vacancies Plunge 45% to Lowest Levels on Record
Iranian Hackers Shut Down British Power Plant for Four Days in Landmark Cyber Attack
Novak Djokovic Reveals Relentless Self-Doubt and Rejects Retirement in New Documentary
Trump Imposes 50% Tariffs on Canadian Goods After Bilateral Trade Talks Collapse
First Bus Bars Unaccompanied Under-Sixteens From Evening Services in Stoke-on-Trent
Lithium-Ion Battery Fires Cost UK Waste Sector About One Billion Pounds a Year
Reform UK Proposes Lower Social Housing Priority for Foreign-Born Naturalised Citizens
UK Government Deploys AI Drones in Crackdown on Illegal Waste Dumping
EU Biometric Border Checks Cause Disruption for British Travellers and Freight Operators
UK Expands Voluntary Drug Treatment Programme for Sex Offenders to Twenty Prisons
CrossCountry Cancels Most Services After Major Power Failure at Control Centre
Met Office Warns El Niño Could Bring Severe Autumn Storms and Higher Food Prices
Resolution Foundation Says UK Productivity Growth May Be Stronger Than Official Data Suggest
Andy Burnham Proposes Giving Regional Mayors Greater Planning Powers
UK Government Overhauls Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Near Transport Links
Russia Withdraws Ambassador to Britain and Warns of Retaliation Over UK Drone Supplies to Ukraine
Iran-Linked Hackers Blamed for Cyberattack That Shut Down UK Power Plant
Andy Burnham Pledges UK Support for Long-Range Missile Production in Ukraine
Australia Combines Indigenous Fire Knowledge With Satellite Tech to Combat Catastrophic Wildfires
Father and Son Jailed in Scotland Over £900,000 Airport Cannabis Smuggling Operation
UK Fraud Reports Surge Sevenfold as Criminals Exploit QR Codes in Parking Meters and Phishing Emails
Brighton Thrash Aston Villa in Four-Goal Opening Half as Manchester City Trail Bournemouth
Erin Patterson Appeals Triple Murder Convictions After Hotel Mixed Sequestered Jury With Prosecution
Bank of England Maintains Close Watch on Banks Amid Global Economic Uncertainty
Warm Weather and Tourism Support UK High Street Spending During Summer
Westminster Faces Continuing Political and Administrative Fallout From Epstein Files Release
UK Invests in Domestic Defence Drone Manufacturing to Strengthen Military Supply Chains
Around Five Million UK Households Face Higher Mortgage Payments by 2028
Bluetongue Virus Cases Rise Across England, Wales and Scotland
UK Government Holds First National Day for Victims and Survivors of Terrorism
Historic Summer Droughts Threaten UK Harvests and Put Further Pressure on Food Prices
UK Economy Holds Up in Second Quarter Despite Global Energy and Geopolitical Pressures
UK Opens National Artificial Intelligence Safety Testing Facility
UK Government Finalizes Plans to Bring Remaining Regional Rail Services Into Public Ownership
Environment Agency Imposes Record Penalties on Water Companies Over Illegal Sewage Discharges
Great British Energy Announces Offshore Wind Partnership in North Sea
UK Government Tightens Planning Rules to Accelerate Housing Development
NHS Launches Digital Overhaul to Cut Elective Care Waiting Lists
Bank of England Signals Interest Rates May Stay Higher for Longer as Inflation Pressures Persist
The rise and fall of Hui Ka Yan, China’s richest man
Woke: Britain Considers Plain Packaging for Cigars as Specialist Shops Warn of Industry Collapse
Britain's Public-Service Productivity Remains Below 2019 as £80 Billion Output Gap Fuels WFH Debate
Mandelson Epstein Case in Jeopardy as U.S. Files Stay Out of Reach
Prince Harry and Six Others Ordered to Pay £9.5 Million After High Court Defeat
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Inflation and Energy Risks Persist
UK AI Security Tests Find Autonomous Agent Attempting Malicious Code Injection
UK Economy Grows 0.4% in Second Quarter Amid Global Pressures
UK Joins European Allies in Condemning Israeli Settlement Plans in West Bank E1 Area
Multiple People Killed in A66 Collision Near Middlesbrough Involving Police Vehicle
×