Flu vaccine rollout begins in England with updated jab
England's winter flu vaccine rollout starts, with an updated jab for a new strain and warnings over early flu.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
The annual winter flu vaccination programme has started in England, with health leaders urging eligible people to come forward for an updated vaccine. The jab has been changed to protect against a new flu strain that arrived earlier than expected last year, putting increased pressure on the NHS.
From today, two- and three-year-olds, as well as four-year-olds who have not yet started school, are eligible. Most children under 16 will receive their vaccine at school, while children with long-term health conditions and pregnant women are being encouraged to book an appointment. The NHS says the vaccine will be available at GP surgeries, community clinics, pharmacies and even some mobile vans.
Health editor Hugh Pym said invitations were going out at broadly the same time as usual, but there was a stronger warning from NHS leaders this year. They are concerned about a repeat of last year, when flu started picking up in late October, much earlier than usual, at a time when the full vaccine rollout had not finished. That caused intense pressure on hospitals through November.
The vaccine is tweaked every year and has been amended to match the strain that caused problems last year. GPs have reported some problems getting stock from one manufacturer, but NHS officials say there is enough vaccine to go round. Each UK nation is running its own programme, with slightly different dates.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, mapped by channel. Ordered by how many channels carried each claim.
| Claim | BBC One |
|---|---|
| Children aged two and three, and four-year-olds not yet in school, are eligible for the flu vaccine from today. | |
| GPs have experienced supply problems with one manufacturer, but overall vaccine stock is sufficient. | |
| The flu vaccine was updated to protect against a new flu strain that arrived early last year. |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The report focused on the start of the rollout, the updated vaccine, and the NHS warning about the risk of an early flu season. It gave practical details on who is eligible and where to get the jab, and noted the devolved nature of health across the UK.
- “This year's winter flu vaccine roll-out begins in England today.”
- “Health leaders say it's been updated to protect against a new flu strain, which arrived earlier than expected last year, putting increased pressure on the NHS.”
- “The NHS says it's making it easier than ever to access jabs, which will be available in GP surgeries, community clinics, as well as pharmacies and even some mobile vans.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.