Flu & Covid Autumn/Winter 2026

Flu Vaccine Eligibility

The flu vaccine is recommended for people at higher risk of getting seriously ill from flu. The vaccine is given to patients during autumn and early winter.

You can get the flu vaccine at the practice if you:

• are aged 65 or over
• are pregnant
• are aged 2 or 3 on 31 August 2026 (school age children will receive their vaccine at school)
• live in a care home for older adults
• are immunosuppressed
• are aged 18-65 in a clinical risk group
• are the main carer for an elderly or disabled person, or receive a carer’s allowance
• a close contact of an immunocompromised individual

Learn more about the Flu vaccine

Booking your flu vaccine

Appointments for the flu vaccine begin from 1st September for pregnant women and 2 and 3 year olds only.

Appointments for all other adult eligible groups begin from early October. We cannot provide any vaccinations before this date.

When are the clinics available to book?

We will text all patients with a mobile a link to book an appointment when clinics are ready for booking. This will arrive with you by the middle of September. Please wait for your booking link to avoid overwhelming the surgery phone lines.

All patients without a mobile will be contacted by letter in the middle of September.

Covid Vaccine Eligibility

If you are aged 75+ or immunosuppressed aged 6 months+, you are also eligible to receive a Covid vaccine this autumn. This can be administered at the same time as your flu vaccine.

Learn more about the COVID-19 vaccine

When are the clinics available to book?

Appointments for covid vaccine begin from early October. We cannot provide any vaccinations before this date.

We will text all patients with a mobile a link to book an appointment when clinics are ready for booking. This will arrive with you by the middle of September. Please wait for your booking link to avoid overwhelming the surgery phone lines.

All patients without a mobile will be contacted by letter by the middle of September.

Vaccine Supply

We are unaffected by some of the supply issues that you may have seen in the news. We have ample vaccine for all eligible patients.

Our vaccination clinics

Our vaccination clinics will run throughout October and November. All clinics will be held as usual on Saturdays at the Whitstable Health Centre, CT5 1BZ. There is no charge for parking. Flu and covid vaccine can be provided at the same time so you only need to book one appointment regardless of whether you want one or both of these vaccines.

Appointment times

Make sure you attend at the specified appointment time to ensure the smooth running of our clinics and to avoid queues.

Thank you for awaiting your booking link and using this if you can so that we reserve the telephone system for those who really need it.

Published: Aug 27, 2026