The first delivery of flu vaccine is expected to arrive at GPs’ practices on Monday 19 October, it has been reported.
Frontline health workers and extremely vulnerable patients are expected to receive the shot first. Hospitals are expected to be given their first batches on Wednesday 14 October, Sky News reports.
The news follows reports that there has been a rise of 50% in the number of swine flu cases in the UK to 14,000 in the past week. Sir Liam Donaldson, the government’s chief medical officer, said this was fewer than would be expected in a pandemic’s second wave.
Director of Immunisation, David Salisbury, said stocks of the GSK swine-flu vaccine and another jab manufactured by Baxter would be delivered to GPs on a rolling basis as they became available.
Sir Liam has also announced that the number of specialised beds to treat people with severe lung failure will be doubled for adults, from five beds to 10, at a specialist unit in Leicester.
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