Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Surveillance in Northern Ireland, 2026/27

1 Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2026/27

The Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2026/27 commenced in Northern Ireland on 01 October 2026 for most eligible groups, with data in this report accurate until 08 November 2026. Younger eligible individuals were offered vaccination from September 2026. The vaccination programme is delivered by a number of providers including GP, community pharmacy, Health and Social Care Trusts and Trust school nursing teams.

Summary

A total of 366,126 influenza vaccinations have been administered since the beginning of the 2026/27 programme until 08 November 2026. A summary of vaccine uptake rates by all eligible groups covered in this report can be found in (Figure 1.1).

Figure 1.1: Cumulative seasonal influenza vaccination uptake by eligible group in Northern Ireland 2026/27 programme.

1.1 65 years and over

Uptake estimates for this group in the current programme until 08 November 2026 are found below. Previous years end of programme uptake rates for this eligible group were 74.1% in 2025 and 73.7% in 2024. Influenza 2025/26 Vaccination Surveillance Report

Figure 1.2: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Local Government District (LGD) in Northern Ireland, 2026/27.

Figure 1.3: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by age band in Northern Ireland 2026/27. Uptake improves with increasing age.

Figure 1.4: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measures Decile in Northern Ireland, 2025/26. Uptake improves with increasing decile, with one being areas of most deprivation and ten being areas with least deprivation

1.2 18-64 years ‘at risk’

Uptake estimates for 18-64 years ‘at risk’ in the current programme until 08 November 2026 are found below. The end of programme uptake in 2025 was 37.3%. Prior years vaccination eligible age for this group varied.
(Influenza 2025/26 Vaccination Surveillance Report)

Figure 1.5: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 64 years ‘at risk’ by Local Government District (LGD) in Northern Ireland 2026/27.

Figure 1.6: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 to 64 years ‘at risk’ by age band in Northern Ireland 2026/27. Uptake improved with increasing age

1.3 Care Home residents

Uptake estimates for this group in the current programme until 08 November 2026 are found below. The end of programme uptake in 2025 was 79.7%. (Influenza 2025/26 Vaccination Surveillance Report)

Figure 1.7: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in care home residents by Trust in Northern Ireland 2026/27.

1.4 Preschool children

Preschool children are those aged two to four years on 01 September 2026. Further details about eligibility criteria is included in Section 2. In the previous programme (2025/2026) the final uptake in this group was estimated at 29.7% (Influenza 2025/26 Vaccination Surveillance Report).

Figure 1.8: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in preschool children by Local Government District (LG) in Northern Ireland 2026/27.

1.5 All Trust employed health and social care workers

In Northern Ireland, the offer of seasonal influenza vaccination in 2026/27 is to all health and social care workers including those without direct patient contact. Further information on eligibility criteria is included in Section 2: Eligibility for vaccinations. Estimated vaccine uptake in all Trust employed health and social care workers varies by HSC Trust. Estimated uptake values are found in (Figure 1.9).

Figure 1.9: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in all Trust-employed health and social care workers in Northern Ireland by Trust 2026/27.

Figure 1.10: Seasonal influenza vaccination uptake in all Trust-employed health and social care workers in Northern Ireland by job role 2026/27.

2 Eligibility for vaccinations

The Green Book is published by UK Health Security Agency and provides information for public health professionals on immunisation, including seasonal influenza vaccination (The Green Book | Immunisation againist infectious disease). Considering this advice and that of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), the Chief Medical Officer in Northern Ireland issues a letter for the seasonal influenza programme outlining who is eligible for vaccination under the current programme. For more information on the vaccination programmes in Northern Ireland, including eligibility for vaccination, please visit Health NI | Seasonal Influenza Vaccination Programme 2026/2027.

The Green Book advises that influenza immunisation should be provided to healthcare and social care workers in direct contact with patients/clients, i.e. frontline health and social care workers (Green Book | Chapter 19: Influenza). In Northern Ireland, the offer of seasonal influenza vaccination in 2026/27 is to all health and social care workers including those without direct patient contact.

3 Methods

Data is presented to the end of the last reporting week, Sunday 08 November 2026.

All vaccinations are recorded on the Northern Ireland Vaccine Management System (VMS). Vaccinations administered as part of the schools influenza vaccination programme are recorded on the Northern Ireland Child Health System (CHS) which feeds into VMS.

Data is provisional and accurate at the time of extraction. Data lags exist between date of administration of the vaccine and date of recording on VMS or CHS.

Eligible groups are not mutually exclusive and individuals may be counted in more than one group. Individuals may have more than one eligibility criteria for vaccination, however most will only have one reason for vaccination recorded on VMS. This will impact estimates of vaccine uptake.

3.1 Definitions and data sources

Vaccine uptake (%) is defined as the number of vaccinations administered (numerator) divided by the eligible population (denominator). Vaccine uptake is included in this report for those eligible groups in which a denominator is available.

Seasonal influenza vaccination is defined as any vaccination recorded on the Northern Ireland Vaccine Management System (VMS) administered from 01 September 2026 to 31 March 2027.

3.1.1 Adult vaccinations by age group

Age for adult vaccinations is based on age at the end of the programme, 31 March 2027. The age group based population is based on the NISRA mid-year estimate (2025).

The Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure (NIMDM) deciles were assigned based on the Super Output Area (SOA) level results from Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measure 2017 (NIMDM2017) | Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. Each SOA was categorised one to ten with one being the most deprived and ten being the least deprived.

3.1.2 At risk individuals

Individuals ‘at risk’ are determined using the reason for vaccination ‘at risk’ or ‘immunosuppressed’, as populated on the VMS. The population ‘at risk’ is determined using data from the national General Practice Intelligence Platform (GPIP) extracted at the beginning of the programme. Vaccine uptake for the adult ‘at risk’ population is estimated in this report.

3.1.3 Preschool children

Preschool children are those aged two to four years on 01 September 2026, i.e. those born between 02/07/2022 and 01/09/2024. This population is determined using data from CHS extracted at the beginning of the programme.

3.1.4 School-aged children

Primary school children are those in primary years 1 to 7 during the programme, i.e. those born between 02/07/2015 and 01/07/2022. Post primary school children are those in years 8 to 12 during the programme, i.e. those born between 02/07/2010 and 01/07/2015. The Department of Education collects data annually on the number of pupils in schools in Northern Ireland, this school census data is used to estimate the population of primary and post primary school children. The latest available data is 2025/26.

3.1.5 Care home

Care home residents are those recorded as a care home resident with a valid RQIA care home registration number on VMS. The care home resident population is based on the beds occupied reported in the Northern Ireland RQIA Census of Bed Availability in Registered Care Homes in Northern Ireland (December 2023). Care home staff are those aged under 75 years and recorded as care home staff on VMS. The care home staff population is based on the latest data submission from care homes on the RQIA web portal in August 2023.

3.1.6 Health and social care workers

Reporting of health and social care worker (HSCW) estimated uptake is based on Trust-employed staff only. This includes the five health and social care Trusts and Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS). The population of Trust-employed HSCWs is based on the Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Workforce Census 2026.

4 Supplementary tables

Table 1: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake by eligible group in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

Eligible group	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
65 years and over	192,151	356,485	53.9
18-64 years 'at risk'	65,585	265,026	24.7
Care Home residents	8,330	13,490	61.7
All Trust employed HSCWs	16,902	72,700	23.2
Preschool children	11,154	41,941	26.6
Primary School children	45,449	174,778	26.0
Post Primary School children	22,588	126,872	17.8
Special School children	1,322	7,729	17.1

Table 2: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	15,840	27,128	58.4
Ards and North Down	21,639	39,191	55.2
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	21,622	38,626	56.0
Belfast	30,385	54,684	55.6
Causeway Coast and Glens	14,659	29,788	49.2
Derry City and Strabane	14,844	26,538	55.9
Fermanagh and Omagh	10,037	23,722	42.3
Lisburn and Castlereagh	18,522	28,728	64.5
Mid Ulster	10,409	24,928	41.8
Mid and East Antrim	15,241	29,473	51.7
Newry, Mourne and Down	18,676	33,679	55.5

Table 3: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by age band in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

Age Band	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
65-69	46,788	104,591	44.7
70-74	46,061	84,477	54.5
75-79	41,177	72,152	57.1
80+	58,125	95,265	61.0

Table 4: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in individuals aged 65 years and over by Northern Ireland Multiple Deprivation Measures Decile in Northern Ireland, 2025/26. in Northern Ireland, 2025/26.

NIMDMDecile	People	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
1	11,868	22,967	51.7
2	14,969	27,610	54.2
3	16,652	30,328	54.9
4	19,191	33,564	57.2
5	20,151	35,091	57.4
6	19,309	32,782	58.9
7	20,276	33,442	60.6
8	23,532	34,564	68.1
9	24,109	33,341	72.3
10	27,318	36,251	75.4

Table 5: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 -64 years and over by Local Government District in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	5,611	20,159	27.8
Ards and North Down	6,717	21,717	30.9
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	8,277	29,885	27.7
Belfast	11,417	48,673	23.5
Causeway Coast and Glens	4,107	19,035	21.6
Derry City and Strabane	5,275	23,054	22.9
Fermanagh and Omagh	2,640	16,009	16.5
Lisburn and Castlereagh	7,225	20,194	35.8
Mid Ulster	3,808	19,947	19.1
Mid and East Antrim	3,591	19,457	18.5
Newry, Mourne and Down	6,751	24,939	27.1

Table 6: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in individuals aged 18 -64 years and over by age band in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

Age Band	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
18-24	2,421	18,136	13.3
25-29	2,393	14,519	16.5
30-34	3,202	17,554	18.2
35-39	4,202	21,176	19.8
40-44	5,166	25,235	20.5
45-49	6,470	29,273	22.1
50-54	8,657	34,909	24.8
55-59	13,518	47,256	28.6
60-64	19,556	56,968	34.3

Table 7: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in care home residents by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	1,551	2,680	57.9
NHSCT	2,300	3,521	65.3
SEHSCT	1,974	3,201	61.7
SHSCT	1,237	2,224	55.6
WHSCT	1,254	1,864	67.3

Table 8: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in preschool aged children by LGD in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

LGD	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Antrim and Newtownabbey	908	3,132	29.0
Ards and North Down	1,070	2,997	35.7
Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon	1,370	5,126	26.7
Belfast	1,866	6,909	27.0
Causeway Coast and Glens	619	2,916	21.2
Derry City and Strabane	593	3,452	17.2
Fermanagh and Omagh	457	2,671	17.1
Lisburn and Castlereagh	1,486	3,398	43.7
Mid Ulster	802	3,926	20.4
Mid and East Antrim	818	2,859	28.6
Newry, Mourne and Down	1,094	4,374	25.0

Table 9: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in health and social care workers by Trust in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

Trust	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
BHSCT	6,257	22,574	27.7
NHSCT	2,671	12,374	21.6
NIAS	335	1,647	20.3
SEHSCT	2,953	11,494	25.7
SHSCT	1,888	12,550	15.0
WHSCT	2,798	12,061	23.2

Table 10: Number of influenza vaccinations and vaccination uptake in health and social care workers by job role in Northern Ireland, 2026/27 programme.

Job role	Number vaccinated	Population	Vaccine uptake (%)
Admin & Clerical	2,423	14,787	16.4
Ambulance	292	1,357	21.5
Estates	225	844	26.7
Medical & Dental	3,413	6,082	56.1
Nursing & Midwifery	5,504	25,522	21.6
Professional & Tech	3,034	11,749	25.8
Social Services	919	10,023	9.2
Support Services	1,226	6,576	18.6