Vaccination updates

Updates on our vaccination plans and progress in North Wales

September 5 2024

Health board teams have given the first vaccines offering protection against RSV to pregnant women in North Wales

Following the introduction of the new vaccination programme, we are inviting women who are 28 or more weeks pregnant to attend one of our vaccination clinics to boost their baby’s protection against RSV.

Older adults will also be invited to have the vaccine at their GP surgery or at one of the health board’s vaccination centres.

RSV typically causes between 400-600 deaths in older adults and over 1,000 hospital admissions in young babies in Wales every year. Trials have shown the new vaccine offers excellent protection against serious illness.

Pregnant women

Pregnant women will be routinely contacted by the health board at around 26 weeks and invited to attend an appointment at one of our vaccination clinics at around 28 weeks. Invitations will usually be sent by letter, but some women may be contacted by phone.

During September, we will also invite all pregnant women who are more than 28 weeks pregnant to have an RSV vaccination. Women closest to their due date will be invited first, with invitations for other pregnant women following in the coming weeks.

We are also reminding women they are eligible for vaccination against pertussis (whooping cough) during pregnancy (from 16 weeks), as well as seasonal flu and COVID-19 booster vaccinations (at any stage). These vaccines help to protect mother and baby from becoming seriously unwell at a time when their natural immunity to disease is lower.

We call on pregnant women not to delay, and to have these vaccines as soon as they are offered to ensure best possible protection.

More information about the vaccine is available here.

Older adults

From this month, the RSV vaccine will be routinely offered to older people as they turn 75. Most patients will be invited to attend an appointment to receive the vaccine at their GP surgery during the three months following their 75th birthday, but some will be invited to have the vaccine at one of the health board’s vaccination centres.

Over the next 12 months, the vaccine will also offered to everyone aged 75 to 80 (born between September 2 1944 and September 1 1949 inclusive only) as part of a catch-up programme.

Eligible patients should look out an appointment letter for their RSV vaccination, or book an appointment at a clinic being advertised by their GP surgery when invited to do so.

The RSV vaccine will not be offered at the same time as the winter flu and COVID-19 booster vaccines for this age group.

More information about the vaccine is available here.

Flu vaccination

From next week, the health board and GP practices across North Wales will begin delivering winter flu vaccines to children.

Children aged two and three (age on August 31 2024, born between September 1 2020 and August 31 2022) will be invited to have the painless nasal spray flu vaccine at their GP surgery. School age children will be offered the spray vaccine at dedicated clinics in schools during the autumn term.

The flu vaccine can help to prevent serious illness in children. It also helps to reduce the wider impact of flu in our communities, protecting older and more vulnerable people from the virus.

Pregnant women will also be offered their winter flu vaccine from September onwards.

Following guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and Welsh Government, NHS flu vaccination for all other adult eligible groups is expected to begin in North Wales from the week beginning September 30. Full details of eligibility and how to get the vaccine are available here .

COVID-19 boosters

Following guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and Welsh Government, COVID-19 booster vaccinations will be offered to eligible people from October 1.

We will write to all eligible people to offer an appointment to have their COVID-19 booster vaccine. This appointment may take place at a vaccination centre or GP surgery.

Where possible, eligible people may be offered a flu vaccine at the same time as their COVID-19 booster vaccine.

As in previous campaigns, the health board’s vaccination teams will visit care homes to offer the vaccine to people who live there during the early weeks of our campaign. As a result, we expect the first appointments at our vaccination centres to be offered from mid-October onwards, with those likely to be most vulnerable to the virus being invited first.

The first letters for these appointments will be sent later this month and will contain the location, date and time of the vaccination appointment, as well as information about what to do if you need to change your appointment. We encourage people eligible for the vaccine to wait for their appointment letter and to come forward for their booster vaccine when invited.

People who are housebound will be contacted directly to make arrangements for their vaccination.

Full details of eligibility and how to get the vaccine are available here.

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