People urged to take up flu and COVID-19 vaccines ahead of winter season

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is urging everyone eligible for a free flu vaccine and a COVID-19 booster vaccine to take up the offer as soon as possible ahead of what could be a difficult winter with respiratory viruses circulating widely.

All primary school children and some secondary school children are eligible for the flu nasal spray this year, which is usually given at school. GP surgeries are also inviting children aged two and three years old (age on 31 August) for this nasal spray vaccination at their practices.

In addition to the predicted flu wave, the UKHSA has early indications that COVID-19 rates are beginning to rise ahead of winter.

For all those who are eligible, taking up both the COVID-19 booster vaccine and the flu jab is an essential form of protection against the most severe respiratory viruses in circulation this winter.

As well as taking up the vaccines, everyone is encouraged to help stop the spread of respiratory viruses this winter by practising good hand hygiene, wearing masks in crowded or enclosed public spaces and covering your nose and mouth when you cough and sneeze.

COVID-19 vaccination: women who are pregnant or breastfeeding

The UK Health Security Agency has updated theguidance for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding on COVID-19 vaccination.

The leaflet is for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding on COVID-19 vaccination and includes information on the COVID-19 autumn vaccine booster. Paper copies, translations and alternative format versions will be available soon.

COVID-19 vaccination is strongly recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is aware of false claims on social media that their advice on the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines while pregnant or breastfeeding has changed.

The MHRA would like to reassure the public that their advice has not changed. The advice remains that the COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective during pregnancy and breastfeeding and there is substantial evidence to support this advice.

The R value and growth rate

The current R range for England is between 1.0 to 1.3, which means that, on average, every 10 people infected will infect between 10 and 13 other people. The latest growth rate between 0% and 5% meaning that the number of new infections is growing by between 0% and 5% every day.

These estimates represent the transmission of COVID-19 2 to 3 weeks ago due to the time delay between someone being infected, developing symptoms, and needing healthcare.

National flu and COVID-19 surveillance reports published

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) published the latest national influenza and COVID-19 report, monitoring COVID-19 activity, seasonal flu and other seasonal respiratory illnesses.

Surveillance indicators suggest that, at a national level, COVID-19 activity has decreased in most indicators in week thirty-eight of 2022. The main findings include:

• The number of acute respiratory infection incidents (suspected outbreaks) increased to 170 in week 38, compared to 133 in the previous week
• Positivity for laboratory confirmed cases for week 38 was 6.9 per 100,000 population, an increase from 5.5 in the previous week
• The hospital admission rate was 7.62 per 100,000 population, in the previous week it was 4.96 per 100,000 population
• Hospital admission rates for COVID-19 were highest in the North East, with a rate of 10.82 per 100,000 population.

The latest evidence shows that vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation is similar for the BA.4/5 variants as it is for BA.2.

The UKHSA is reminding the public to keep up the actions that are helping to reduce the spread of the virus – meeting in well-ventilated spaces, washing hands regularly and staying away from others where possible if you have symptoms of a respiratory illness.