This year, getting the flu vaccine is more important than ever. Dedham Pharmacy is now providing the flu jab in Colchester and the surrounding area.
The flu jab is a vaccination against the influenza virus. Most people receive the flu vaccine as an injection or jab. But children receive the vaccination in the form of a nasal spray.
The flu vaccine is the best protection against catching the flu. It is possible to catch a strain of flu virus that wasn’t included in the jab. However, if you do, you’re still provided with some protection and will probably recover more quickly from than if you hadn’t had the jab.
You can get your flu jab from your GP. Or, if you live in Colchester or the surrounding area, you can get the flu jab through Dedham Pharmacy Flu Vaccination Service.
Dedham Pharmacy encourages everyone who can to get the flu jab in 2021.
For 2021, it’s strongly recommended that everyone gets vaccinated if they can – especially if you were shielding during the coronavirus lockdown.
Having the flu jab will help protect you from catching and spreading the flu. It will also help prevent you from infecting other people in your family.
Getting the flu vaccine in 2021 will also help reduce the strain on the NHS during flu season especially with COVID-19 still present.
It’s ok to have the flu jab when pregnant or if you’re taking antibiotics.
Most people can have a flu vaccine. However, there are a couple of exceptions:
– If you are currently unwell with a fever, you should delay getting the flu jab.
– If you have an egg allergy, speak to your GP or pharmacist before getting the jab.
The flu vaccine is free for people in high-risk groups. You qualify for a free vaccine if you are in one of the following categories:
– People aged 50 and over
– Frontline health or social care workers
– Pregnant women
– People with certain medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes or chronic heart disease
– Neurological disease such as parkinson’s disease
-Weakened immune system due to e.g. cancer
Your pharmacist will check if you qualify for a flu vaccination on the NHS. If you don’t qualify for a free flu jab, you can still have the flu jab privately. But you can still access the free jab from your pharmacist, which may be more convenient than booking an appointment at your GPs.
The best time to have your flu jab is from the end of September to November. This is the ideal time but you can have it later during the winter.
The flu jab is a safe and effective method of fighting the flu. If you experience any flu jab side effects, they are likely to be mild. Side effects include:
– Mild fever
– Aching muscles
– Sore arm where you were injected
– Headache
– Tiredness or feeling under the weather
– Blocked or runny nose
Some people also lose their appetite following the flu jab. Serious side effects of the injected flu vaccine are very rare.
For Colchester, you can book online or simply walk into Dedham Pharmacy for the flu jab at our vaccination clinic.
