Soaring demand for flu vaccinations has led to a significant shortage of available appointments across England, with major pharmacy chains reporting limited or no bookable slots in many city centre branches. The NHS has issued urgent pleas for the public to get vaccinated as hospitals treat record numbers of seriously ill flu patients, a situation described as a 'flu-nami'.
The shortages come as resident doctors in England begin a five-day strike after rejecting the government's latest pay offer. Meanwhile, vaccination rates remain low among some at-risk groups, with only 35.6% of pregnant women and 37.4% of under-65s with long-term health conditions vaccinated, compared to 71.7% of over-65s.
The World Health Organization reports that 27 of 38 countries in its European region have high or very high flu levels. Dr Hans Henri Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, noted that a new flu strain, H3N2, now accounts for up to 90% of confirmed cases in the region. The UK flu season started four to five weeks earlier than usual, dominated by this mutated strain, though the vaccine still offers relatively good protection.
Boots, Superdrug, and Tesco in-store pharmacies have few appointments available. Boots has stopped offering online NHS under-65 flu jab appointments, while Tesco warns that slots are 'very limited'. Superdrug cited increased demand and limited stock. Boots said the lack of bookable appointments is to manage capacity, and many stores offer walk-in vaccinations.
Flu vaccines are typically ordered a year in advance, with peak demand in October and November. However, increased demand in December has depleted supplies faster than usual. In London, NHS England has alerted community pharmacies to reorder vaccines directly from manufacturers, who confirm stock is available.
