Boots responds to ‘huge demand’ for flu jabs by opening bookings early
Boots has once again opened its flu vaccination bookings early following “huge demand” for the service, it has announced.
Patients can start booking their flu jab slot at a Boots branch from today (July 11), for appointments starting from September, the multiple said.
It encouraged patients – especially those more vulnerable – to “get vaccinated against flu as early as possible”, after government guidance indicated “this year could see higher levels of influenza due to increased social activity, international travel and reduced use of face masks following the pandemic”.
Boots UK chief pharmacist Marc Donovan said the multiple is already experiencing “a huge demand for our Winter Flu Jab Service” due to the above factors.
Read more: Which pharmacies administered the most flu jabs last season?
“It could also be because people are more open and familiar with vaccines in general, with most UK adults having received their COVID-19 vaccinations in the last year,” he added.
He noted that “the best time to get the flu jab is in the autumn before flu starts spreading”.
Pharmacists at the multiple administered more than two million flu vaccines last year, “its largest flu vaccination programme on record”, Boots wrote.
“Boots will be aiming to carry out the same number of flu vaccinations this winter,” it added.
110,000 pre-booking registrations
Since May, more than 110,000 Boots customers have registered to be notified to know when the booking service would open, Boots said.
This marks a 27% increase on the number of patients who registered to reserve their flu jab before bookings officially opened last year.
Who’s eligible for a free Boots flu jab?
In England and Northern Ireland, adults over 65 – or those turning 65 on or before March 31, 2023 – will be able to access a free flu jab at Boots on behalf of the NHS, while the same will apply in Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man to those over 50.
People over 18 “with certain medical conditions or who fall into other eligible NHS groups such as carers” can also get a free flu jab, Boots explained.
Boots pharmacists and team members will also get a free flu jab this year, the multiple announced.
NHS England and NHS Improvement had set money aside last year to offer a free flu jab to all pharmacy team members, a measure it said would be valid for the 2021/22 season only.
