Flu Vaccines and COVID Booster Shots Brought Forward Due to New Variant

Members of the public receive their COVID-19 vaccine or booster at a NHS (National Health Service) bus outside an Asda Supermarket in the town of Farnworth, near Manchester in north-west England on Dec. 20, 2021. Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

England’s autumn vaccination campaign for flu and COVID-19 booster is set to begin in 11 days, about a month earlier than planned because of a new variant of COVID-19, the government said on Wednesday.

Health Minister Maria Caulfield said it “makes sense” to bring forward the campaign so the most vulnerable can be more protected.