The multiple announced yesterday (June 1) that it has opened its bookings for flu vaccinations early, with the private service priced at £17.99.

Flu jab appointments can be booked for a date “later this year”, it said.

Read more: Government scraps free flu jabs for 50-64-year-olds in 2023/24 season

Well added that it opened bookings “earlier than usual” as this “gives people the best chance to prepare for flu season, knowing that their vaccine can be done as soon as possible when the season starts”.

It stressed that flu vaccines will be free for those eligible to get their jab on the NHS.

 

Rowlands jabs to be £16.99

 

Meanwhile, Rowlands confirmed to C+D today (June 2) that it will launch its flu vaccination service from September 1, “depending on vaccine availability/delivery”.

The multiple will offer private flu jabs at £16.99, it said.

Read more: Flu wars: Which pharmacy chain is offering the cheapest jabs?

Last season, large pharmacy chains became locked in a private flu jab price war, with several of the multiples cutting their prices throughout the season.

 

Well was charging £15 for its flu jab when it slashed the price to £10 in December.

 

It then offered the vaccine free to all adults aged over 18 “while stocks last” in January, including those who did not fall into an eligible NHS group.

 

Read more: Well offers free private flu jabs to all over-18s as hospital admissions rocket

 

Both Superdrug and Boots opted to drop their flu vaccine prices to under £10 last season.

 

Boots reduced the price of its private winter flu jab from £16.99 to £9.95 just before Christmas (December 23), while Superdrug followed in hot pursuit by cutting its price to just £8.99.

 

And Lloydspharmacy last season offered its private flu jab for £12, while Rowlands priced its own offering at £14.99 for those aged two and over.

 

 

Eligible cohorts

 

It comes as the government last week scrapped free flu jabs for 50-64-year-olds in the 2023/24 season.

People aged 50-64 will not be eligible for a free flu jab next season, due to start from September 1, which will see eligibility criteria for free jabs return to pre-pandemic arrangements.

Read more: Flu jabs: Pharmacies top 2021/22 record two months before end of season

The groups eligible for free flu vaccinations in 2023/24 are:

• Those aged 65 years and over
• Those aged six months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups 
• Pregnant women
• All children aged two or three years on August 31 2023
• Primary school aged children 
• Those in long-stay residential care homes
• Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person
• Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• Frontline workers in a social care setting without an employer led occupational health scheme 

All frontline health care workers, including both clinical and non-clinical staff who have contact with patients, should be also offered a flu vaccine as part of the organisations’ policy, the government said.