Your GP surgery will usually contact you when you become eligible for the shingles or pneumococcal vaccine. This will usually be by letter, text message, phone or email.
Sometimes you might be offered the vaccine during a GP appointment you’re there for another reason and your vaccine is due.
Speak to your GP surgery if:
If you are a welder or metal worker, speak to your employer about getting the pneumococcal vaccine.
Flu and Covid-19 can be life-threatening and spread more easily in winter when we are crowded together inside.
If you catch flu and Covid-19 at the same time, research shows you’re more likely to be seriously ill. Getting vaccinated against flu and Covid-19 will provide protection for you and those around you.
It is important to top up your protection, even if you have had a vaccine or been ill with flu or Covid-19 before, as immunity fades over time and these viruses change each year.
Adults at greater risk of serious illness and children can get a free flu vaccine, seasonal Covid-19 vaccine or both. The best way to protect ourselves from these viruses is to get vaccinated.
People who develop severe immunosuppression, for example those who have completed a STEM cell transplant, outside of the seasonal vaccine periods, will still be offered a Covid-19 vaccination by their clinician and provided with a letter which must be taken to the vaccination appointment. If you think you have recently developed severe immunosuppression and you have not received a letter, please reach out to your GP as soon as possible.
If you would like to leave feedback about how useful you found the content on this page, please complete the form below.
