The Independent, The Guardian, Daily Mail, The Sun, Yahoo News, LBC News
Reports in the media have suggested that pharmacies across England are running low on flu vaccines, with potential shortages of appointments in some isolated areas. Reports indicate that a particularly infectious strain is driving what could be the worst flu season on record this winter, prompting more people to seek vaccination.
While there is no national shortage, we have received isolated reports of pharmacies struggling to obtain stock and have flagged these to DHSC and NHS England. NHS England has since assured pharmacy owners that flu vaccine stocks remain available to order. See our news story on this.
Community Pharmacy England was approached by national press for a statement and information on this topic.
Our CEO, Janet Morrison said:
“As advised by NHS England, it’s important that people who are eligible for flu jabs come forward as soon as they can. Community pharmacies are busy vaccinating as many people as possible, but with a late surge in the number of people seeking flu jabs, people may need to wait a little longer than usual to secure an appointment. While we have had some isolated reports of pharmacies struggling to obtain flu vaccination supplies, this seems to be very dependent on location; some supplies still appear to be available in some locations, and all pharmacies will be working to hard to source extra stock if they need it. If people are trying to get their flu jab, a good first step would be to simply check in with their local pharmacy.”
Live radio interview
In addition, Anil Sharma, Committee Member and Regional Representative for the East of England, spoke on LBC News (during the Vanessa Baffoe programme) about flu vaccine availability in pharmacies and the recent surge in patients seeking vaccination. He highlighted that winter is a particularly busy period for pharmacies, when demand for healthcare advice and services is typically higher. Listen to the live interview via the LBC News website (interview starts 08:22:36).
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Coverage:
Shocking numbers reveal full extent of flu wave spreading across the country | The Independent
NHS ‘facing worst-case scenario’ as hospital flu cases jump 55% in a week | Flu | The Guardian
The cheapest place to buy a flu jab now as mutant K strain sparks ‘don’t panic’ warning | The Sun
Super flu news: NHS faces ‘worst-case scenario’ as H3N2 strain sweeps UK | Yahoo News
Vanessa Baffoe Programme (listen from 08:22:36) |LBC News
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