Flu clinics used to be a mundane chore where patients had to be persuaded and cajoled to join the throngs queueing, outside a GP practice on a cold, Saturday morning.
But in 2020, we have been warned that the double whammy of the Covid-19 pandemic and flu must be tackled if NHS overwhelm is to be avoided this winter.
Some 66% of the population, 37 million people, is the target for flu vaccinations in England this year; and Scotland and Wales have the same patient groups in their sights. This is more than double the usual target and there is little information about how the current workforce will rise to this challenge. The opportunistic vaccination will be much less possible this year, given how few patients GPs are now seeing face-to-face.
