Community pharmacies provided almost half of all Covid vaccinations during the autumn campaign, according to newly released government data.
Public health and prevention minister Ashley Dalton said that unpublished NHS England data showed that community pharmacies administered about 45% of Covid-19 vaccinations bewtween 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026.
The figure was published in response to a parliamentary written question from Liberal Democrat health and social care spokesperson Helen Morgan.
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Ms Dalton said: 'NHS England collected, but does not currently publish, data on the proportion of COVID-19 vaccinations that were administered by community pharmacies in the autumn 2025 vaccination programme.
'This unpublished data indicates that during the autumn campaign, which ran from 1 October 2025 to 31 January 2026, approximately 45% of COVID-19 vaccinations were administered by community pharmacies.'
The answer was published on the same day Ms Dalton resigned from her ministerial position to continue her oral chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer.
The Company Chemists’ Association (CCA) said pharmacies are also delivering a substantial proportion of the adult flu vaccination programme.
They have already administered over 4.2 million flu vaccinations, which represents around one-third (33%) of all adult flu vaccines administered so far, it added.
The CCA highlighted the convenient access and a strong presence of pharmacies in deprived communities, helping to support uptake where it is most needed.
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The CCA added that the government ‘must recognise’ this success and build on it by commissioning community pharmacies to deliver a wider range of NHS vaccines because pharmacists have the skills, expertise, and local presence to achieve this.
It recently wrote to the Health and Social Care Committee highlighting the enhanced role that pharmacies could play in administering a broader range of NHS vaccines. This followed the UK’s recent loss of its measles-free status.
Malcolm Harrison, chief executive of the CCA said: ‘Community pharmacies are proving once again that they are central to the NHS vaccination effort.
‘Delivering nearly half of all covid vaccinations in the autumn campaign, and already more adult flu vaccines than last year underscores just how vital community pharmacies are to vaccination efforts.
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‘The evidence is clear that pharmacies should be commissioned to deliver a wider range of NHS vaccines. With the right commissioning framework, community pharmacy can play an even greater role in protecting public health and easing pressure across the wider NHS.’
This comes as new data by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed that fewer than half of adults are receiving their free shingles vaccine in the first year they become eligible.
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