Everyone in Britain ‘should get the winter flu jab to stop NHS getting overwhelmed if coronavirus still poses a threat’
- Concerns a second wave of Covid-19 could coincide with winter flu influx
- Govt. ministers were reportedly advised to provide everyone with flu vaccine
- Vaccine is currently free on the NHS for young children and those aged over 65
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Everyone in the UK may have to get the winter flu jab to prevent the NHS from getting overwhelmed this winter if coronavirus still poses a threat.
Government ministers have reportedly been advised to vaccinate all members of society by next winter for free, in an effort to free up hospital beds.
Under current policy, less than half of the population are eligible to a free flu jab.
Everyone in the UK will reportedly have to get the winter flu jab to prevent the NHS from getting overwhelmed this winter if coronavirus still poses a threat (Stock image)
The vaccine is currently free on the NHS for young children and those aged 65 or over.
The possibility of vaccines for everyone in the country is now being looked into by government scientists, the Sun reported.
It comes amid concerns a second wave of Covid-19 in the winter months could overwhelm hospitals if it coincides with an outbreak of the flu.
Chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty has previously warned that a second wave of coronavirus during the winter could prove devastating.
In a lecture last month, he said: ‘We all need to be honest about the fact there are no easy solutions here.
‘It is entirely plausible for a second wave to actually be more severe than the first if it is not mitigated.’
Public Health England estimates that on average 17,000 people die from the flu each year.
The current UK death toll from Covid-19 stands at 33,186
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