Covid-19 booster vaccine and flu vaccine - your questions answered

When will I get my vaccinations?

Your GP practice will contact you six months after your second Covid-19 vaccination.

You will also be offered the seasonal flu vaccination at the same appointment.

People will be vaccinated in the same priority order as was used for the first and second Covid-19 vaccinations, with the oldest and most vulnerable done first.

Please wait to be contacted by the NHS. You will be sent a weblink or phone number to book an appointment.

Where will I get my vaccinations?

You will be invited to one of our GP practice-led vaccination centres in Bury.

• Elizabethan Suite, Town Hall, Knowsley Street, Bury BL9 0SW
• Ramsbottom Civic Hall, Market Place, Ramsbottom, Bury BL0 9AJ
• Prestwich Walk-in Centre, Fairfax Road, Prestwich, Manchester M25 1BT
• Radcliffe United Reformed Church, Blackburn Street, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 3WQ

You may also be offered the opportunity to go to the regional vaccination centre at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.

Choose the vaccination centre that is most convenient for you.

Can I get my vaccinations at my GP practice?

The Covid-19 booster vaccine and the flu vaccine will be provided only at the centres listed above.

This is because:

• The large scale Covid-19 vaccination centres run during the pandemic have been very successful - vaccinating more than 185,000 Bury residents. This success has been due to Bury GP practices working with the local community.
• This success has shown that more people can be vaccinated more quickly than would be possible at smaller centres and more people can benefit sooner from the protection given by the vaccinations.
• The large sites have space to provide a place for people to wait the recommended 15 minutes after having their Covid-19 vaccination.
• It is generally more convenient for patients to attend one appointment, instead of two.
• National guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisation recommends that the two vaccinations are given at the same appointment, if possible.

Can I get the Covid-19 vaccination but not the flu vaccination?

You are encouraged to take both vaccines, but the choice is yours.

When you book your appointment you will be asked to select which vaccines you wish to take.

• Read more about the two vaccines on the NHS website: NHS - Coronavirus booster vaccine

I want my flu jab now. Can I get it?

Please wait to be invited to receive both your Covid-19 booster vaccination and your flu vaccination at the same appointment.

If you are clinically vulnerable to the flu but you are not yet due your Covid-19 booster vaccination then your GP practice may invite you to receive your flu vaccine first. You will receive your flu vaccination at one of the four GP practice-led centres listed above. Your GP practice will contact you if you fall in this category.

Most clinically vulnerable patients will be due both their Covid-19 booster vaccination and the flu vaccination in the early part of the autumn.

Can I get my flu jab at a pharmacy?

A number of pharmacies in Bury are providing the seasonal flu jab.

• Find out if you are eligible to receive the flu vaccine free of charge at the NHS website: NHS - Flu vaccine

If you are not eligible you will have to pay the pharmacy a fee.

Please make arrangements directly with the pharmacy.

What about flu immunisation for children?

Children who are due the nasal spray flu vaccine will receive it in the usual way. This may be in their nursery, school, GP practice or vaccination centre.

In some cases the flu vaccination is provided by an injection.

Please wait to be contacted by your GP practice or by your child's school or childcare provider.

• Read more about the children's flu vaccine on the NHS website: NHS - Child flu vaccine