The International Longevity Centre-UK (ILC) comments on the announcement that this year’s autumn influenza (flu) and COVID-19 vaccine programmes will start earlier than planned in England as a precautionary measure following the identification of a new COVID variant.

Esther McNamara, Senior Health Policy Lead at the ILC says,

“While this swift action in bringing forward the COVID-19 vaccine programme is welcome. there’s a frustrating sense that the barn door has already been left wide open when earlier this summer the Government announced they would be scrapping free COVID-19 and flu vaccines for millions of people over 50.”

“To better protect the NHS this winter, we urge the Government to ensure the uptake of COVID boosters is as high as possible by re-extending their free programmes to enable people of all ages to live, work, socialise, volunteer, and care as normal.”

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Contact Press@ilcuk.org.uk or +44 (0) 7736 124 096. Spokespeople are available on request.

For more information about ILC’s work on the value of vaccination across all ages, visit https://ilcuk.org.uk/adult-immunisation/

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