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Seasonal vaccinations 2026/27 · Flu & COVID-19

Get winter-ready in one visit.

Flu and COVID-19 jabs at all four Oxford branches: free on the NHS if you’re eligible, private if you’re not. Book both together, one in each arm, and save £5.

Book private

Or see the free NHS routes ↓

Pick your route

Three ways to get protected.

NHS: free if eligible

Free

  • 65+, pregnancy, long-term conditions, carers
  • Children 2–3 and clinically at-risk 2–17
  • Pregnancy from 1 Sept · everyone else 1 Oct

Private flu jab

£25

  • No eligibility rules: everyone welcome
  • Same-day at all four branches
  • This season’s quadrivalent Influvac Tetra

Flu + COVID together

£119

  • Both jabs, one visit: one in each arm
  • Private COVID-19 (Comirnaty LP.8.1) £99
  • Book together and save £5
Why bother?

One quick visit, a whole winter of cover.

Flu and COVID both peak December–February, and both change year on year: this season’s vaccines are matched to the strains now circulating. Protection builds in 10–14 days and does two jobs: it makes you far less likely to catch it, and much less likely to be seriously ill if you do.

  • 40–60% fewer infections: far fewer hospitalisations
  • Protects the people around you: babies, grandparents, anyone vulnerable
  • Pharmacist-administered: in and out in minutes, no GP needed
The season, in numbers

Flu is not a maybe: it arrives every December.

Weekly flu hospital admissions in England last season. The December spike is why October–November vaccination matters: protection is in place before the wave, not after it.

Best time to vaccinate51015SepOctNovDecJanFebMarAprPeak: 16.2 per 100,000 (w/c 23 Dec)
Lower risk of flu hospital attendance vs unvaccinated (UKHSA, this season)Children 2–17−70–75%Adults−30–40%

Sources: UK Health Security Agency respiratory surveillance dashboard (admissions per 100,000, England, 2024/25 season) and UKHSA vaccine-effectiveness monitoring, 2025/26.

Quick check
NHS-free or private? Answer in 20 seconds.

Tick anything that applies to the person having the jab:

Why it matters

The NHS funds the flu jab for people most likely to end up in hospital with it. Everyone else can still have exactly the same vaccine privately.

Tick the boxes and we’ll point you at the right booking route: it takes about 20 seconds.

Key dates

The season at a glance.

1

1 September

NHS flu bookings open for pregnant women.

2

1 October

Everyone else starts: all NHS-eligible groups, and private flu & COVID appointments at every branch.

3

1 December

School catch-up: children (Reception–Year 11) who missed the school session.

Dig deeper

Everything about each jab.

The flu jab, in full

Who’s NHS-eligible, when to book, how well it works, children’s nasal spray, side effects: the complete guide.

Flu vaccine details

COVID-19 boosters, in full

NHS eligibility (75+, care-home residents, immunosuppressed 6 months+), the private £99 booster, and this season’s variant-matched vaccine.

COVID-19 details
For children

No needle: just a quick nasal spray.

Children have the nasal-spray flu vaccine (LAIV): a quick squirt in each nostril, done in seconds. Ages 2–3 are vaccinated here at the pharmacy; school-aged children who missed their school session can catch up with us from 1 December.

FAQs

Common questions.

Yes: same appointment, one in each arm. It’s safe and saves a second trip, and booking both privately saves you £5 (£119 for the pair).

Flu: 65+, pregnancy, long-term conditions, carers, frontline health/social-care workers, children 2–3 and at-risk 2–17. COVID: 75+, care-home residents, and anyone immunosuppressed aged 6 months+. Not sure? Ask any of our pharmacists.

Use the NHS booking website and search with your branch postcode: OX2 9TJ (Botley), OX3 9JA (Headington), OX2 7HQ (Summertown) or OX15 0SW (Deddington). Or just call your branch.

October–November is the sweet spot: protection builds in 10–14 days, ahead of the December–February peak. Pregnant women can start from 1 September.

Usually just a sore arm and mild tiredness for a day or so. Serious reactions are rare and every branch is fully equipped.

Yes: both viruses change season to season, so the vaccines are reformulated annually to match.

Ready for winter?

Private bookings open 1 October: NHS slots from 1 September (pregnancy) and 1 October (everyone else).

Four Oxford branches

Available at every branch.

All branches GPhC-registered.

Talk to us

Pick the closest branch.

Email or phone - we usually reply within the hour.

Email branch Call branch

Or walk in any time - every branch has a pharmacist on duty.