Covid-19 Vaccination Updates

From the end of August 2022 we will be contacting patients eligible for COVID Boosters and Flu Vaccinations. This will be done through our e-booking system. Please look out for your invitation and link.

Alternatively, you can book by telephone or E-reception (please help us by avoiding calling us at our busy times 8-9am and 1-2pm). Appointments will be available starting early September and throughout the winter period in line with anticipated covid vaccine deliveries. Both vaccines will be provided together when possible.

www.nhs.uk

Separate arrangements are made to vaccinate those patients who are housebound or live in a residential or nursing home.

𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙗𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖 𝘾𝙤𝙫𝙞𝙙-𝟏𝟗 𝘼𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙣 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧: Final JCVI advice confirms that the COVID-19 Autumn booster should be offered to the following groups:

• Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults

• Frontline health and social care workers

• All adults aged 50 years and over • Persons aged 5 to 49 years in a clinical risk group.

• Persons aged 5 to 49 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression

• Persons aged 16 to 49 years who are carers

We will communicate with you all nearer the time with regards to specific arrangements

Covid-19 Vaccination Status

From 17 May 2021, people in England who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 can demonstrate their vaccination status for international travel. A full course is currently two doses of any approved vaccine. Vaccine status will be available from:

the NHS App which you can download from app stores
the NHS website
119 - by requesting a paper letter

You will need to register to use the online services, if you have not already. It may take more than a week for your identity to be checked and verified.

If you cannot access the online services, and you have had both doses of the vaccine, you can request a paper letter from the NHS by calling 119. Only call 119 if you are due to travel outside the UK in the near future and have had your second dose more than 5 working days ago. It may take up to 7 working days for the letter to arrive.

This practice is not able to provide you with a letter that shows your COVID-19 vaccination status. Please do not contact the practice about your COVID-19 vaccination status unless you have been advised to by the 119 service.

When you're planning your travel, you should check the latest information on demonstrating your COVID-19 status when travelling abroad on the gov.uk website. Make sure there is enough time to get proof of your COVID-19 vaccination status before you are due to travel.

Vaccination Update

The 7 practices in our Primary Care Network have now given over 56,000 vaccines. We would like to say a huge thank you to our incredible team of staff and volunteers who have worked so hard over the last 7 months, regularly giving up their time in the evenings and weekends.

We will no longer be giving 1^st dose vaccines through our practices. If you are eligible and want to book a vaccination you can do this by calling 119, or go to the NHS website.

We will continue to offer 2^nd dose vaccines to patients who we vaccinated with a 1^st dose. Once we have confirmation of our vaccine deliveries we will be in touch with you to book your 2^nd appointment.

Oxford AstraZeneca Vaccine Update

New guidance has been issued for the use of the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

This follows further reviews by the independent regulator, the MHRA, and the Commission for Human Medicines, of a very small number of people in the UK who have developed a rare blood-clotting condition since having the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The MHRA and Joint Committee for Vaccinations and Immunisations have emphasised that the risk of this condition is extremely small and that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks for the vast majority of people. They have recommended that:

Everyone who has had the AstraZeneca vaccine should still have a second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, irrespective of age, unless they suffered any serious side effects after their first vaccination.
People aged 30 and over or who have a health condition that puts them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease should still be offered the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine. The benefits in protecting them against the serious consequences of COVID-19 outweigh any risk of this rare condition.
People aged 18-29 who do not have a health condition that puts them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease will be offered an alternative Covid-19 vaccine where available. (This has been recommended as a precaution as people under 30 are at less risk from Covid-19 and not because they are considered to be at particular risk of developing the rare blood clot.)
People under 30 can still choose to have the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine if this will mean they can be protected more quickly and they have been made aware of the guidance.

Please see the leaflet below that has been produced by Public Health England and the NHS to answer any questions you may have

Covid-19 Vaccination & Blood Clotting

COVID-19 vaccinations

The NHS is currently offering COVID-19 vaccinations to people in the following priority groups:

Cohort 5 – people aged 65-69
Cohort 6 – people with underlying health conditions that put them at greater risk from Covid-19 and carers of elderly and disabled people.
Cohort 7 – people aged 60-64
Cohort 8 – people aged 55-59

If you are in one of these groups, you will be contacted when it is your turn for a vaccination, either by your practice or the NHS national booking service.

Anyone aged 55 or over can book an appointment through the national booking service without waiting for a letter or by calling 119. This will be extended to people in cohort 9 (50-54) over the next few weeks so keep an eye on the site homepage to see when you can use the service.

We know lots of people will be eager to get protected but please do not contact your GP practice or the NHS for an appointment. The NHS is working hard to make sure those at greatest risk are offered the vaccine first and people will not be able to make an appointment until they have received an invitation.

COVID-19 vaccinations are free of charge and only available through the NHS. Text messages from the NHS will show as being sent from NHSvaccine and will only link to the NHS.uk website. The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details, your PIN or banking password, or ask you to press a button on your keypad.

Please continue to follow all the safety guidance even when you’ve had the vaccine as you may still be able to spread the disease, in particular hand hygiene, wearing a face covering and social distancing.

For more information about the vaccine, please visit www.nhs.uk or see these frequently asked questions.