UK Gov't Plans Free Influenza Vaccine For 30Mln People This Winter Amid COVID-19 Fears

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th July, 2020) The United Kingdom government on Friday announced plans to offer as many as 30 million people in England a free vaccine against influenza amid fears that the annual flu season will coincide with a surge in COVID-19 cases.

A free influenza vaccine will be offered to all people aged 50 years and over, elementary school children and those in the first year of high school, pregnant women, and individuals who were required to shield from COVID-19 and members of their household, according to a press release.

"We are now taking another important step to help protect the wider public by giving the flu vaccination to more people than ever before. This will be the biggest flu vaccination programme in history, and will help protect our NHS as we head into winter," Health Secretary Matt Hancock said in the press release.

Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty said that the vaccine program will attempt to reduce risks with COVID-19 still likely to be present this coming winter.

"This winter more than ever, with COVID-19 still circulating, we need to help reduce all avoidable risks. Vaccinating more people will help reduce flu transmission and stop people becoming ill," Whitty said in the press release.

Throughout the 2019-2020 season, roughly 15 million people in England were vaccinated against influenza, according to Public Health England.

The United Kingdom has been one of the European epicenters of the COVID-19 outbreak, as 297,146 lab-confirmed cases have been registered, resulting in the deaths of 45,554 people. On Thursday, the country's Department of Health and Social Care announced that 769 new cases had been confirmed over the preceding 24 hours.