Nearly 7000 patients at the Rycote Practice are eligible for a free flu vaccination this year. These figures exclude children in school years reception to Year 11 who will be vaccinated at school. So far over 5100 patients have received their flu vaccination. Uptake exceeds 96% amongst the over 65s and we are now focussing efforts on those at risk from an underlying health condition, and those over the age of 50.
We are holding further clinics on the afternoon of Friday 3 December, the morning of Saturday 4 December and the afternoon of Wednesday 8 December. There are a small number of appointments left. Please call the practice to book an appointment – we cannot offer you a vaccine if you simply walk into a clinic as doses are pre-allocated.
Please note that patients who are eligible for a free flu vaccination are also eligible for a Covid booster after a minimum of 3 months. So far over 4000 patients have received their Covid booster and we are focussing initially on those who are five months from their second dose.
We are currently reviewing whether to offer Covid boosters to patients under 50 (without underlying health conditions) - boosters for this age group are available from regional vaccination centres. Vaccine clinics take huge resource and we feel that our priority has to be to offer the Covid boosters to the most vulnerable (over 50s and those with underlying health conditions) and to ensure that we carry out delayed reviews for patients with long-term conditions.
We are very grateful to our staff for working many additional hours to cover vaccination clinics and manage workload despite the increased risks faced by healthcare staff. Covid infection rates at the Rycote Practice have been more than double the national recorded infection rate as a result of exposure. Thank you to all our patients who have offered understanding, kind words and support to us as we have contended with the challenges of the pandemic.
