Carrie Johnson says get the flu jab: here's how
Carrie Johnson says get the flu jab: here's how
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Carrie Johnson has advised her Instagram followers to “get the bloody flu jab” after spending a week in hospital with flu and pneumonia. The wife of former Prime Minister Boris Johnson had a chest infection 18 days over Christmas and says she was struggling to breathe properly before she was admitted to hospital.
Johnson added that she regrets not getting the flu vaccine. “I really, really wish I had. It totally slipped my mind this year. No guarantee, but I very possibly wouldn’t have spent the last 3 weeks horribly, horribly ill had I got it,” she said.
There’s a common misconception that the flu jab is only available to the elderly and vulnerable, but everyone in the UK is eligible to receive it. The flu vaccine is a seasonal programme available throughout autumn and winter. This year the final date to get it will be 31st March 2025.
The vaccine is offered on the NHS and is free to certain groups of people. You can get it for free if you:. For those who are not eligible for a free jab, it is offered in a range of pharmacies and supermarkets, typically costing between £10 to £20. Superdrug charges £9.95 for those with a free Superdrug health and beauty card, or £19.95 to non members. It’s also available at Asda for £13, or Tesco for £16 – just check that your local branch offers the service.
Most people will feel fine after the flu jab, but it can cause mild, short term side effects including pain in the arm where the injection was administered, fever, tiredness, nausea and muscle aches. These symptoms will usually go away after a couple of days. The jab does not contain the live virus, so you cannot get the flu from it.
