Jabs call after 70 in hospital with flu at Christmas

Residents eligible for flu and Covid-19 vaccines have been urged to take up the offer after it emerged that 70 people spent Christmas Day in hospital with flu in Kent and Medway.

The NHS figures have prompted health chiefs to make a fresh appeal to all qualifying groups, which include over-65s, those with certain underlying health conditions and frontline health and social care workers.

Dr Kate Langford, chief medical officer at NHS Kent and Medway, said those most likely to become very unwell are "putting their health at risk by not taking up the vaccination offer".

Flu vaccines are available until the end of March, with Covid-19 vaccinations to be administered until the end of January.

The latest appeal comes days after NHS chiefs warned that the number of people with flu in hospital in England has quadrupled over the past month.

Dr Langford added: "It is important to top up your protection, even if you have had a vaccine or been ill with flu or Covid-19 before, as immunity fades over time and these viruses change each year."

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