Ahead of the colder months, flu and COVID vaccines are offered to those at most risk of serious illness, including those affected by a sickle cell disorder. The NHS National Booking Service is now open for appointments.

If you are vaccinated and you catch flu or COVID-19, you are more likely to have milder symptoms and recover faster, cutting your risk of being hospitalised – and helping to minimise pressure on the NHS during busy winter months.

When considering your options around getting vaccinated, we want to ensure you have all the information available and we hope this blog will help you make an informed decision.

Flu vaccine

Latest UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data shows over the past two winters at least 18,000 deaths were associated with flu, despite last winter being a relatively mild flu season. While pandemic restrictions and social behaviours saw flu levels fall dramatically for a few years, these latest mortality figures are a stark reminder that flu is a deadly virus, particularly for older people and other groups at greatest risk.

If you live with a sickle cell disorder, vaccination against flu can help prevent infections triggering a sickle cell crisis.

If you did have the flu vaccination last year, you will need another one this year as the flu virus can change from one winter to the next and protection from the vaccine goes down with time. Flu vaccines are updated for each winter to give protection against the strains of flu that we expect to be circulating, based on the available data.

Children with certain health conditions, including sickle cell, even if well managed, are at higher risk of severe complications if they get flu. It is especially important that they are vaccinated.

They should have a flu vaccination every year from the age of six months onwards. Most will have the nasal spray vaccine, but it is not recommended for children under the age of 2 years. Children under 2, and those for whom the nasal spray is not suitable for medical reasons, will be offered a flu vaccine injection.

COVID-19 vaccine

UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) data also shows over the past two winters the estimated number of deaths associated with COVID-19 was just over 19,500.

Getting vaccinated against COVID-19 will reduce your chances of getting an infection which could trigger a sickle cell crisis this winter. It can also reduce your chances of hospitalisation by around 50%, as compared to those who had their last dose at least 6 months ago and who do not opt to receive a vaccine.

Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective – some people may still get COVID-19 despite having a vaccination, but any infection should be less severe. It takes around 7 days for your body to build up some extra protection from the vaccine.

Vaccine safety

All approved vaccines meet the strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the UK’s medicines regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). MHRA is also responsible for continuously monitoring the safety of all medicines and vaccines once they are approved for use.

So far, millions of people from the UK and around the world have been given a coronavirus vaccine. Reports of serious side effects, such as allergic reactions or clotting problems, have been very rare. The benefits of getting vaccinated against COVID and flu as a sickle cell patient far outweigh the risks.

More information on the possible side effects of COVID-19 and flu are available on the NHS website.

Booking your vaccine appointments

You can book your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations on the NHS App, or book online at www.nhs.uk/bookflu and www.nhs.uk/bookcovid. Can’t get online? Call 119. The flu and COVID-19 national booking systems and the 119 booking service will be open until 20th December. 19th December will be the last day to make appointments and last access to these services will be the 20th December to cancel appointments.

You can arrange your flu and COVID-19 vaccinations for the same appointment by booking on the app or online (18+ only). You are encouraged to get both vaccines in the same visit where possible, to get protected against both illnesses in just a few minutes. If this is not possible, it is better to get each vaccine as soon as you can rather than waiting.

If you are eligible, the NHS should have contacted you. However, if you think you are entitled to a vaccine and have not heard anything, please visit the NHS website to check or speak to your specialist or GP.

Please take action and get vaccinated as soon as possible, to get winter strong and make sure you can enjoy the winter ahead.

Useful resources

• NHS: Winter vaccinations and health
• UKHSA: 18,000 flu-related deaths in past 2 winters as jab uptake falls
• UKHSA blog: Your guide to who’s eligible for the 2024 flu vaccine
• NHS: Why vaccination is important and the safest way to protect yourself

 

A Guest Blog post from the UK Health Security Agency