2.5m flu vaccinations distributed through community pharmacies in England during the 2020/21 flu season

During the 2020/21 flu season, more than two and a half million influenza vaccinations have been distributed through community pharmacies in England, which is over one million more than what was delivered by pharmacies during the 2019/20 flu season.

In Wales, eighty-eight thousand, two-hundred and forty-one influenza vaccinations were distributed through community pharmacies between September 2-2- and December 2020, compared with sixty-one thousand, seven hundred and fifty-six delivered during the same period the year before.

Chair of Community Pharmacy Wales, Mark Giffiths, stated: “In congratulating five-hundred and ninety-five of seven-hundred and thirteen community pharmacy teams across Wales in breaking records for flu vaccination deployment, I am more convinced than ever of the potential of community pharmacy to make a significant contribution to Wales’ COVID-19 vaccine programme. As the recent Welsh government pilot service demonstrated, community pharmacies provide an accessible and convenient setting for COVID-19 vaccinations. While recognising this vaccination programme will be complex and challenging, community pharmacy teams are eager to maximise their contribution to the rollout of the vaccine. They recognise that the delivery of the vaccine needs to be undertaken with urgency and determination and wish to be involved in vaccinating as many of the categories of people to be vaccinated as possible.”