Dorset County Hospital say getting vaccinated for covid and flu is 'more important than ever'
The Chief Medical Officer is worried about children who have never been exposed to influenza due to lockdown
Last updated 31st Oct 2022
Dorset County Hospital's Chief Medical Officer has said that getting vaccinated for Covid-19 and the flu is "more important than ever" this winter.
Chief Alastair Hutchison told us here at Greatest Hits Radio: "We're going to see a lot more influenza, it has already begun to appear in Dorset.
"This is a worry as there are a lot of people - particularly very young children - who have no history of exposure to influenza, so they have no natural immunity.
"Therefore, we are anticipating we could see a lot of patients with influenza and even a combination of influenza and Covid.
"This is particularly concerning given that the hospital is already full and may well get busier as we move into the winter.
"In some years, if we look back at 2014/15 and 2018/19, it was estimated that in these winters, we had 20,000 influenza related deaths.
"Given this fact and the large number of the population we have now that have never been exposed to influenza, getting vaccinated is more important than ever."
Both flu and Covid-19 vaccinations can be booked online if you're registered with a GP surgery in England.
For flu vaccinations, click here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/book-flu-vaccination/
For Covid-19 vaccinations, click here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/
These may be administered in your local GP surgery or a pharmacy nearby.