Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department plans to take to improve uptake of the flu vaccination among people aged between 50 and 64 in 2021-22.

Last winter, the seasonal flu programme was extended on 1 December 2020 to include those aged 50 to 64 years old who were not in a clinical risk group. Of this group, 35.2% were vaccinated by the end of the season, with an estimated 2,669,568 vaccinations given.

For the 2021/22 flu season, we will continue to vaccinate all 50 to 64 year olds and will build on record uptake rates from the 20/21 winter. As a result of earlier advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and building on lessons learnt, 50 to 64 year olds will be eligible to book their appointment from the beginning of the season to allow more people to get vaccinated earlier.

In total, over 35 million people will be eligible for a free seasonal flu vaccine this year. The Department is in regular contact with flu vaccine manufacturers to ensure there is a sufficient amount of flu vaccines available to meet uptake ambitions for eligible cohorts.