To ask the Minister of Health whether he intends to widen the groups of people eligible for the flu vaccine this year; and to whom and how will it be distributed.

The 2020/21 seasonal flu vaccination programme will be extended to:

Household contacts of those who received shielding letters during the Covid-19 pandemic;

Staff in independent care and nursing homes; and

Children in school year 8.

Subject to vaccine availability, which is partly dependent on uptake rates amongst new and existing eligible groups, the programme may be further expanded later in the year to include those in the 50-64 year old age group, starting with the oldest first.

The vaccine will be available through the schools programme, through Trust vaccination schemes for staff, and from GPs. Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the flu vaccination arrangements in GP practices may need to be slightly different to take account of enhanced infection control and social distancing requirements. It will be up to individual practices to decide how best to offer the vaccine to their patients.