Flu vaccine uptake, aged 65 and over

Deaths attributed to flu, October to March

What it means: the share of older people vaccinated against flu each winter, and UKHSA’s estimate of deaths caused by flu, worked out by comparing deaths with how much flu was circulating; this series starts in 2022-23. Uptake rose to 82.3% during Covid and has drifted down since; the World Health Organization recommends at least 75%. Flu deaths vary a lot with the strain and how well the vaccine matches it: 14,272 in 2022-23. Status compares uptake with the year before: half a point or more counts.

Source: OHID public health profiles, indicator 30314; UKHSA, influenza in the UK annual report, winter 2025 to 2026, figure 54 data, summed for weeks 40 to 13.