NHS doctors are urging people across Cornwall to get vaccinated against flu at their local pharmacy, under a new scheme introduced this winter.
Experts are warning that the flu season has now started with increasing numbers of people with flu-like illnesses visiting GPs.
The pharmacy scheme aims to increase the uptake of the flu vaccine, especially among people who are under the age of 65 but have a medical condition that makes them more vulnerable.
While most GP clinics for flu vaccination have now finished, the pharmacy scheme is still available to people who have missed out.
Any eligible person over the age of 18 can simply drop into their local pharmacy and ask for the jab, with no appointment necessary.
In Cornwall, around 5,000 vaccinations have already been given so far this autumn and winter.
Dr Alison Mackenzie, speaking on behalf of the NHS, said: ‘Flu kills. Those who have had the flu will tell you it is very different to a common cold, at the very least confining the fittest of people to bed.
‘But for older people or those with long-term conditions like diabetes, the effects can be much more serious and in some cases fatal.
‘It is really important that you protect yourself by getting the flu vaccination, and your local pharmacy makes it easy. It is quick, simple and, despite the myths, it cannot actually give you the flu as it contains no live virus.’