Flu and Covid Vaccines Together: Co-Administration Explained
Autumn is now the busiest vaccine season of the year. Flu, Covid-19, RSV, shingles and pneumococcal vaccines can all fall due at roughly the same time, especially for older adults, and people reasonably want to know whether they can have them together, how far apart they need to be, and whether doubling up makes the […]
Flu Jab Side Effects: What Is Normal and When to Get Help
Worry about feeling rough afterwards is one of the most common reasons people give for skipping the flu jab. The reality, for most people, is a sore arm and perhaps a day of feeling a little flat. Serious reactions are very rare. Knowing what is normal, how long it lasts and what is not normal […]
COVID-19 Vaccine in Pregnancy, With a Weakened Immune System or With Allergies
Some people need more than a standard check before a COVID-19 vaccine. Pregnancy, breastfeeding, a weakened immune system, allergies, past heart inflammation and bleeding problems all raise reasonable questions, and in almost every case vaccination can go ahead with the right preparation. This guide covers what the evidence says about the COVID vaccine in pregnancy […]
Which Flu Vaccine Will You Get? Nasal Spray, Adjuvanted, Cell-Based and High-Dose Explained
Ask ten people what flu vaccine they had last winter and most will say “the flu jab”. In fact there are now six distinct types of flu vaccine in use in the UK, made in different ways and recommended for different ages. Knowing which one you are being offered, and why, makes it easier to […]
Types of COVID-19 Vaccine: mRNA, Protein-Based and the 2026/27 Update Explained
Two kinds of COVID-19 vaccine are in use in the UK this winter: mRNA vaccines, which most people are offered, and a protein-based vaccine kept for people who cannot have mRNA. Both have been updated for 2026/27, but they work in different ways, contain different ingredients and are matched to slightly different lineages of the […]
COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects: What Is Normal, What Is Rare and When to Get Help
A sore arm and a day or two of feeling tired are the most common things people notice after a COVID-19 vaccine. Most reactions are a sign of the immune system responding, and they pass within a few days. A handful of rarer effects are worth knowing about in advance, mainly so that you can […]
COVID-19 Booster 2026/27: A Pharmacist’s Guide to This Year’s Updated Vaccine
Every autumn the COVID-19 vaccine is rebuilt around the virus as it is now. The COVID booster for autumn 2026 and winter 2027 is matched to XFG, the lineage that has been the most common in the UK for around a year, and fewer people are offered it free on the NHS than in earlier […]
Flu Vaccines 2026/27: A Pharmacist’s Guide to Types, Protection and Side Effects
Each autumn the flu vaccine is rebuilt from scratch. The strains change, the recommended products change, and the advice on who should have which vaccine is refined as new evidence comes in. For 2026/27 every flu vaccine used in the UK is trivalent, the preferred vaccines differ by age, and egg allergy is no longer […]
