Tag: winter vaccines

Gordon Macdonald MSP: Getting flu jag will protect yourself, your family and the NHS

SNP MSP Gordon Macdonald is encouraging all eligible people across Edinburgh to make sure that they get their winter flu jag to protect them against serious illness.

Scotland had the highest uptake of flu vaccines amongst people over 65 in the UK last winter, with research from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) showing that 79.8% of people over 65 in Scotland received their winter flu vaccine. This was a higher percentage than in England, Wales or Northern Ireland.

Latest figures show that so far this winter 53.2% of eligible adults in NHS Lothian have received their flu and Covid-19 vaccines. People have until 31st March to receive their jags but are being encouraged to book an appointment as soon as possible to protect them against serious illness this winter.

Other eligible groups for the double dose flu and Covid-19 vaccination include pregnant women, people with certain health conditions and frontline health workers. Those entitled to the flu-only vaccination include primary and secondary school pupils, unpaid carers and the homeless.

Gordon Macdonald said: “Getting vaccinated gives you the best possible protection against flu viruses which are circulating this winter. The flu vaccine offers strong protection, while the Covid-19 booster reduces the severity of illness and boosts protection.

“The vaccines will reduce your risk of needing to go to hospital with serious illness and help to protect those around you from catching flu and getting ill. 

“It is hugely encouraging that Scotland had the highest uptake of vaccines in the UK last winter and I encourage everyone across the city, who hasn’t already done so this winter, to check if they are eligible.

“Getting vaccinated is not only the best way to protect yourself and your family from serious illness this winter, but it will also help to reduce the pressure on the NHS over the busy winter period.”

People who are eligible for winter vaccinations should check Winter vaccines | NHS inform and their local health boards for available drop-in clinics. 

New Winter COVID-19 Infection Study

A study to gather vital data on COVID-19 this winter has been launched by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The Winter COVID-19 Infection Study (WCIS) will run from November 2023 to March 2024, involving up to 200,000 participants.

UKHSA previously commissioned the Coronavirus Infection Survey (CIS), carried out by the ONS during the pandemic, in partnership with scientific study leads Oxford University.

Recognised globally as the gold standard for surveillance of the virus, CIS gathered and analysed more than 11.5 million swab tests and 3 million blood tests from April 2020 to March 2023. 

The new WCIS is a different study and will involve up to 32,000 lateral flow tests being carried out each week, providing key insight into the levels of COVID-19 circulating across the wider community. This sample will be broadly representative of the population according to key characteristics.

While widespread vaccination has allowed us to live with COVID-19, some people remain more vulnerable to severe illness, and this in turn can lead to increased pressures on the NHS over the winter months.

That is why UKHSA is urging eligible adults to book their flu and COVID-19 vaccines online via the NHS website, by downloading the NHS App, or by calling 119 for free, to give themselves the best protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.

UKHSA’s existing surveillance systems already provide up-to-date information on hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) admission rates, but the introduction of this study will allow us to detect changes in the infection hospitalisation rate (IHR), which requires accurate measurement of infection levels in the community.

Calculating the IHR will enable UKHSA to assess the potential for increased demand on health services due to changes in the way the virus is spreading, which could be driven by the arrival of any new variants.

Professor Steven Riley, Director General of Data, Analytics and Surveillance at UKHSA, said: “The data we collected alongside the ONS during the pandemic provided us with a huge amount of valuable insight, so I am delighted that we are able to work together again to keep policymakers and the wider public informed in the coming months.

“UKHSA continues to lead the way internationally on COVID-19 surveillance and by re-introducing a study of positivity in the community, we can better detect changes in the behaviour of the virus.”

The study will use lateral flow devices (LFDs) supplied by UKHSA.

The latest UKHSA technical briefing, published on 22 September, included initial findings of tests performed in the laboratory at Porton Down to examine the effectiveness of LFDs in detecting BA.2.86, and found no reduction in sensitivity compared to previous variants.

The model and scale of this study could also be converted into a programme that captures data on different respiratory viruses, should that be required in future.

Deputy National Statistician Emma Rourke at the ONS said: “ONS is committed to building on the experience of standing up the gold standard CIS. Our resources and statistical expertise are here for the public good, and we are delighted to be delivering this study in partnership with UKHSA.

“There remains a need for robust data to help us continue to understand the virus and its effects during the winter months.

“As well as working to provide UKHSA with regular rates of positivity, we will also be looking at analysis of symptoms, risk factors and the impact of respiratory infections, including long COVID, as part of this important surveillance.”