Welsh Government urges flu, COVID booster and RSV shots this winter
Health officials call for flu jab, COVID‑19 booster and RSV vaccine uptake, highlighting a Pembrokeshire mother’s experience and new eligibility for high‑risk adults.
The Welsh Government has launched a winter health drive urging anyone eligible to take up the flu jab, a COVID‑19 booster and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine.
Health officials say the three vaccines protect against distinct viruses and together can prevent serious illness that often overwhelms hospitals in the colder months.
Flu vaccinations are already being administered across Wales, with many people accustomed to receiving the seasonal jab or a COVID‑19 booster.
The RSV vaccine, however, is a separate programme that many may overlook, assuming the flu jab offers broader protection.
Joanne, a health visitor from Pembrokeshire, warned that assumption can be dangerous after her own infant spent three weeks in a high‑dependency unit with RSV.
“Watching your baby struggle to breathe is terrifying.” She came so close to needing to be intubated and spent three weeks on the high dependency unit,” she said.
She added that the experience reshaped her family’s daily life, with every cold prompting GP visits, inhaler prescriptions or a return to hospital.
“I want other parents to understand that RSV isn’t just a bad cold.” If you’re offered the vaccine, whether that’s during pregnancy or for someone you love who’s older, please take it up.
It could save your family from going through what we did,” Joanne explained.
RSV circulates each winter and usually causes mild symptoms, but it can lead to bronchiolitis and pneumonia in babies, older adults and those with weakened immune systems.
In Wales the virus accounts for up to 1,000 hospital admissions and around 9,000 GP appointments among people aged 75 and over each year.
The vaccine is offered year‑round to all adults aged 75 and over and to pregnant women, the latter to protect newborns during their first months of life.
Older recipients need only one dose, while pregnant women are advised to receive the vaccine with every pregnancy.
In September the Welsh Government expanded the offer to higher‑risk adults aged 65 to 74, including those who are immunosuppressed or have chronic respiratory disease.
Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health Nerys Evans said the campaign is part of a revised winter preparedness strategy focused on prevention.
“Joanne’s story is a powerful reminder of how serious RSV can be, not just for older people but also for our smallest and most vulnerable babies.” No parent should have to spend Christmas at their baby’s hospital bedside,” Evans said.
She urged all eligible people to take the flu jab, COVID‑19 booster and RSV vaccine, stressing that each protects against a different virus and can be the difference between a mild illness and a serious hospital stay.
Health services across Wales are coordinating the three vaccine programmes to make appointments as accessible as possible, with pharmacies, GP surgeries and community clinics all taking part.
Officials remind the public that the flu jab does not protect against RSV, and that the COVID‑19 booster targets a separate coronavirus strain.
The government’s message comes as winter approaches, a period traditionally marked by heightened pressure on NHS Wales and a surge in respiratory infections.
By encouraging uptake of all three vaccines, health authorities hope to reduce the burden on hospitals and protect the most vulnerable from avoidable complications.