Overview
- Flu activity in England is about three times higher than at this point last year, with positivity rising to 8.2% in the week to 26 October and circulation starting over a month early led by school‑age children.
- The NHS is opening 2.4 million vaccination slots next week to speed up protection, urging eligible people to book via pharmacies, GP practices, the NHS App, online or by calling 119.
- UKHSA confirms eligibility for a free flu jab spans children, pregnant people, everyone 65+, under‑65s with certain conditions, care‑home residents, carers, frontline health and social care workers, and close contacts of immunocompromised people.
- Authorities cite last winter’s burden — an estimated 7,757 flu deaths in England — and UKHSA analysis that vaccination prevented around 100,000 hospitalisations.
- UKHSA’s five‑step checklist advises using tissues for coughs and sneezes, ventilating indoor spaces, considering a mask if unwell and going out, staying home when ill, and regular handwashing.