Flu Vaccines from a High Street Chemist?

[LauraDP 10]

Morning, VJers!

So far my GP has been very helpful in providing all of the shots my four kids and I need in advance of the medical. They have done it all free of charge and have even ordered in the adult MMR for me which they don't usually stock. However, they cannot provide us with the seasonal flu vaccines as they need to maintain their stocks for people in vulnerable groups. I totally appreciate and understand that.

I believe that high street chemists, such as Boots, can give flu shots to anyone who requests them. Does anyone know if that is true? Does anyone have any experience of it? I see Knightsbridge Doctors will give the flu vaccine for £21 each at the medical so is that comparable to the cost if done at Boots? I obviously need to evidence that we have has these vaccines for the medical so does the pharmacist sign something to the effect that we have been given them?

I live in rural Argyll in Scotland so we would have to make a special trip into the city to go to a Boots store to get the vaccines which is why I wanted to try and obtain some information before packing the kids into the car and undertaking a five hour round trip.

Thank you in advance for any and all responses.

Best wishes

Laura

[bt1 42]

Morning, VJers!

So far my GP has been very helpful in providing all of the shots my four kids and I need in advance of the medical. They have done it all free of charge and have even ordered in the adult MMR for me which they don't usually stock. However, they cannot provide us with the seasonal flu vaccines as they need to maintain their stocks for people in vulnerable groups. I totally appreciate and understand that.

I believe that high street chemists, such as Boots, can give flu shots to anyone who requests them. Does anyone know if that is true? Does anyone have any experience of it? I see Knightsbridge Doctors will give the flu vaccine for £21 each at the medical so is that comparable to the cost if done at Boots? I obviously need to evidence that we have has these vaccines for the medical so does the pharmacist sign something to the effect that we have been given them?

I live in rural Argyll in Scotland so we would have to make a special trip into the city to go to a Boots store to get the vaccines which is why I wanted to try and obtain some information before packing the kids into the car and undertaking a five hour round trip.

Thank you in advance for any and all responses.

Best wishes

Laura

Flu shots are not required for the medical...I live in the US and the flu shots at e.g. CVS, equivalent of a Boots is around $30, so I'd say £21 is about right, but some from the UK would probably give you a more accurate answer.

Edited October 30, 2012 by bt1

[LauraDP 10]

Thank you for your reply!

I went back and reread this document:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv018a_medical.pdf

I think you are right and I don't need one after all. My GP (to whom I gave the document) must have misread it. However, I think it looks like my 3 year old still needs to have it. My older boys are 5, 7 and 9 so it looks like they escape.

I think on that basis I might just hold off and see what happens at the medical. The worst case scenario is that I have to pay £21 for my youngest to get the shot but that is still cheaper than a 5 hour round trip to the city to either a high street chemist or a private clinic.

I got myself in a muddle thanks to just assuming my GP had read the document correctly. Doh.

Best wishes

Laura

[JoannaV 174]

I think now it is required for everyone and that document is out of date. You could try phoning your nearest Boots pharmacy to check they have them in stock and what price they are, before you make the trip.

And the boots website says it's £12.99 :-)

[JoannaV 174]

Also you can check online which stores offer the flu vaccine. Sorry for the million posts lol.

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Thank you for your reply!

I went back and reread this document:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/unitedkingdom/164203/cons-visa/iv018a_medical.pdf

I think you are right and I don't need one after all. My GP (to whom I gave the document) must have misread it. However, I think it looks like my 3 year old still needs to have it. My older boys are 5, 7 and 9 so it looks like they escape.

I think on that basis I might just hold off and see what happens at the medical. The worst case scenario is that I have to pay £21 for my youngest to get the shot but that is still cheaper than a 5 hour round trip to the city to either a high street chemist or a private clinic.

I got myself in a muddle thanks to just assuming my GP had read the document correctly. Doh.

Best wishes

Laura

Flu vaccine is required during flu season (Oct 1- Mar 31) for all persons over 6 months of age. It changed November 2010. 100% positive that is the current requirement.

Flu shots do not have to be given at a doctors office. You know the name of the town where you will get the shot so google even grocery stores there. Sainsburys offer them but are they in the unnamed town you ask about?

[markjbankover 1]

Asda for £7!!

Couldn't go wrong with that...

Had this done a few days before my medical

[LauraDP 10]

Thank you for the clarification, everyone!

So my original note in my notebook and the Dr were right after all! I don't imagine our medicals will fall within flu season since we only submitted our I130 petitions at the beginning of this month. Nevertheless I will investigate our options. Our nearest major town incidentally is Glasgow so I will research online whether Boots or Asda etc there offer the vaccines.

Thanks again for your help.

Best wishes

Laura

[Holly2234 66]

Tesco offer them too. Also a lot of smaller chemists do. (I will get back to your PM asap! I only get chance to get on here when my daughter is asleep now!)

[LauraDP 10]

Tesco offer them too. Also a lot of smaller chemists do. (I will get back to your PM asap! I only get chance to get on here when my daughter is asleep now!)

No worries on the reply, Holly. I am pretty sure you have more pressing things to attend to now that you are settling into your new life. It will be a few weeks before we can travel to the city so I have a bit of time in which to research my flu vaccine options. I had no idea before today that supermarkets offered them. I think maybe I have lived in the sticks for way too long and am out of touch with the ways of proper civilization.

Best wishes

Laura

[LauraDP 10]

Sorry for bumping this thread again but I was hoping you might be able to clarify still further on the response you gave to my muddle-headed flu vaccine question.

If our medicals are outside of flu season, do we still have to have had the flu vaccine? In other words, what determines our need to have the vaccine - the month of the medical or the time when we filed our I130s? I am assuming that if our medicals are after March - which is likely - then we don't have to have had the vaccines but I am learning quickly that it is never safe to assume anything with this process.

Best wishes

Laura

[Nich-Nick 3,354]

Sorry for bumping this thread again but I was hoping you might be able to clarify still further on the response you gave to my muddle-headed flu vaccine question.

If our medicals are outside of flu season, do we still have to have had the flu vaccine? In other words, what determines our need to have the vaccine - the month of the medical or the time when we filed our I130s? I am assuming that if our medicals are after March - which is likely - then we don't have to have had the vaccines but I am learning quickly that it is never safe to assume anything with this process.

Best wishes

Laura

You must be current as possible on the date of you medical exam, not the date you file a petition or interview.

How does this affect a CR1 visa? (This is not all true for K1s)

If its not flu season, then flu shot waived. They tick box "not flu season"

If it hasn't been 4 weeks since first MMR, then second dose is waived. They tick "insufficient time interval".

If you're pregnant, then MMR waived. You don't have to wait to be un-pregnant and get a shot before visa.

You can't get a varicella shot in the UK. Waived because at medical they tick the "not readilly available" box.

You never have to get these waived shots for immigration purposes. You get the visa and you're IN. Nothing to later follow up on immunization. Children enrolling in American schools will be asked by the school to prove certain immunizations, but that's a different ball game.

[LauraDP 10]

You must be current as possible on the date of you medical exam, not the date you file a petition or interview.

How does this affect a CR1 visa? (This is not all true for K1s)

If its not flu season, then flu shot waived. They tick box "not flu season"

If it hasn't been 4 weeks since first MMR, then second dose is waived. They tick "insufficient time interval".

If you're pregnant, then MMR waived. You don't have to wait to be un-pregnant and get a shot before visa.

You can't get a varicella shot in the UK. Waived because at medical they tick the "not readilly available" box.

You never have to get these waived shots for immigration purposes. You get the visa and you're IN. Nothing to later follow up on immunization. Children enrolling in American schools will be asked by the school to prove certain immunizations, but that's a different ball game.

Thanks, Nich-Nick. I knew I could rely on you for a no nonsense, straightforward and clear answer.

So it looks like we won't be needing the flu shots after all since we will very likely be well out of the season by the time we book the medical. I am due to get my second MMR shot next week. None of us need the varicella anyway since we have all had chicken pox so it can be waived on that basis. The only outstanding shots we will have after next week will be the kids' third dose of Hep C vaccine which they will be getting in February.

I knew about the kids needing the immunisation records for school so I will be making sure I get a second copy of the report we will be submitting at the medical.

I really appreciate you taking the time to answer my question. For some reason my brain just could not get adequately wrapped around all of the different shots we needed.

Best wishes

Laura