NHS in Kent to deliver coronavirus and winter flu vaccines together this autumn
The NHS in Kent has laid out proposals to deliver coronavirus and winter flu vaccines together this autumn.
Thousands of residents living in the county's 13 districts, including Medway, are likely to receive two jabs for Covid and seasonal flu from September 6th.
It comes as the county's clinical commissioning group looks to learn lessons from the pandemic, including on data issues, health inequalities and vaccine distribution in isolated communities, and looks to plug gaps that could slow the rollout.
Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), who oversee 200 GPs and seven hospitals, will implement the joint plans as bosses described the proposed move as "positive".
Priscilla Kankam, the CCG's deputy director for medicines optimisation, said: "One of the real positives is that we pull together the Covid and flu programme. This is to support the co-administration of them together."
"We won't be able to do it for all the patient cohorts, but actually there is a benefit to not just the patient, but the workforce too."
"We know we will be really stretched if we have to give flu and Covid at the same time and we will be jabbing forever."
Free seasonal flu vaccine will be made available for more than 35 million UK people this year, including those aged 50 and over; pregnant and living in care homes.
Other cohorts include frontline health or social care staff; carers for older or disabled people or living with someone at high risk of catching Covid.
Meanwhile, coronavirus booster jabs will be offered to vulnerable groups living in the county from next month.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recently published a paper setting out the proposals and guidance, which includes the next stage of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.
In a report published last week, NHS officials revealed around 1.265million residents are eligible for a third dose in Kent. The rollout will be divided into two stages.
The first stage will include all residents aged 70 and over, clinically vulnerable adults aged 16 and over, elderly care home residents and frontline health staff.
The second will be deployed to all adults aged 50 and over and adults aged 16 to 49 who are in an at-risk coronavirus group.
In Kent, letters will be "imminently" sent out to GP surgeries calling for their support in the rollout. Dozens of community pharmacies have offered to help.
Maternity services will be asked to commit to delivery of the vaccination programme for pregnant women from September.
Pop up clinics will continue to be held in mosques, churches, homeless hostels and travellers sites.