Flu may be a bigger problem than Covid this winter

Prof Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the government’s advisory committee on vaccination, has been addressing some of the questions around Covid booster jabs.

He tells BBC Radio 4’s Today programme work is under way testing seven different vaccines for autumn boosters, to see how they might react with each other and with a flu vaccine.

The last point is important because he says: “Flu could be potentially a bigger problem this winter than Covid. With very, very low prevalence due to the UK’s lockdowns, flu immunity is likely to have dropped in the population and “it comes back to bite us”, he says.

But Prof Harnden says Covid boosters are also likely to be important for the elderly, most of whom had their vaccinations several months ago.

No decision has been made on vaccinating children against Covid yet, he says, but the focus is on second doses and covering over-18s.

“We need to think very carefully what the benefits are to children themselves,” Prof Harnden says.