COVID-19 vaccination programme

Do not visit a vaccination centre before you have booked an appointment

If you are not eligible yet, wait to be contacted. The NHS or your GP will let you know when it's your turn to have the vaccine. It's important not to contact the NHS for a vaccination before then.

Who the vaccination is being given to

Delivering vaccinations to our population will take time, so please be patient. At the moment, it is being given to:

• people aged 45 and over
• people at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• people who live or work in care homes
• health and social care workers
• people with a condition that puts them at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
• people with a learning disability
• people who are a main carer for someone at high risk from coronavirus.

Who can get the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine

Register with a GP

You need to be registered with a GP surgery in England. You can register with a GP if you do not have one.

Register with a GP

You will be contacted to book an appointment

This will either be by letter, phone or text.

Do not respond to anybody who claims to be able to provide you with a vaccine for a payment.

• The NHS will never ask for your bank account or card details.
• The NHS will never ask for your PIN or banking password.
• The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
• The NHS will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips.

How you will be contacted for your vaccination

Once you have been contacted

Book your appointment as soon as possible. You may be offered the option to book an appointment online. If you cannot book online you may be able to book an appointment by phone.

• There is a national vaccination centre at John Smith's Stadium, Huddersfield
• If you are unable to travel to the vaccination centre you are offered, please refer back to the letter for advice on alternative ways you can get vaccinated.
• Vaccinations are being carried out across a range of locations such as GP practices and health care centres.

Getting the vaccine

Attend your appointment when you are given one. Vaccines are still being provided during national lockdown. You are permitted to leave your home to get your vaccine.

• If you have had COVID-19, you should still get vaccinated when you are invited to your appointment. See also below section on People who have had COVID-19, had the flu vaccine or are unwell.
• As people have to complete a course of two vaccinations and the programme will be delivered in a phased approach to ensure those most at risk are vaccinated first, it is not possible to choose one vaccine over another.
• The vaccination centre your appointment takes place in will keep you safe from COVID-19 through a range of measures, including cleaning and disinfecting and having social distancing in waiting areas.
• Please wear a face covering to your appointment and also take the usual steps to minimise your risk as you travel to it.
• If you are taking medication, please bring a list of these with you to the vaccination centre. Do not bring the medicines themselves.
• If you are taking a blood thinner called Warfarin you need your latest INR reading and when it was last checked. If you don't know this, you can get if from your GP. Computers at the vaccination centres do not link back to medical records so results can't be looked up on the day.

After you have been vaccinated

Continue to follow prevention and help advice to protect yourself, family and community and to play your part in helping to stop the spread.

If you are a frontline worker, continue to follow guidance on wearing PPE, handwashing using soap and water or hand sanitizer, as well as other protective measures.

Prevention and health advice

If you think you have COVID-19 symptoms after your vaccination

It is possible to have caught COVID-19 and not realise you have the symptoms until after your vaccination appointment.

If you get these symptoms, self-isolate immediately and arrange to have a test.

Self-isolation

Test and Trace: Getting a test if you have symptoms

Get a second dose of the vaccine

It is important to have both doses of the vaccine to give you maximum protection.

• The first dose acts as an important immune response primer.
• The second dose is needed to boost your body's immune response to COVID-19.
• The second dose should be given up to 12 weeks after the first.

About the vaccine

The Pfizer BioNTech and Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are now available.

COVID-19 vaccines are safe

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has confirmed that the vaccines have gone through all the clinical trials and safety checks all other licensed medicines go through. They have been through three stages of clinical trials and have been tested on tens of thousands of people around the world.

• No safety concerns were seen in studies of more than 20,000 people.
• No long-term complications have been reported.
• The vaccines will not alter your DNA.
• The British Islamic Medical Association recommends that the currently available COVID-19 vaccines are eligible for individuals in Muslim communities: BIMA COVID-19 Vaccine Statements

The trial phases were organised to overlap, speeding up the overall production time, but without cutting any corners on trialling the vaccine and ensuring it meets strict standards of safety and effectiveness.

Time has also been gained because:

• Trial volunteers were recruited at the start of the process, so they were ready to go once the vaccine was ready for trial.
• In the UK trials, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) made this their top priority.
• Plans were made for the next phase of trials by the companies without having to wait for investor decisions.
• Companies made decisions to begin large scale production of vaccines which were still in trials. So, if vaccines were found to be safe and effective, they would be ready to be distributed straight away.

Side effects

COVID-19 vaccines can cause side-effects but not everyone gets them.

• Most side-effects are mild and short-term.
• Common side effects include a painful arm, feeling tired, headache, general aches and mild flu-like symptoms.
• These symptoms are normal and are a sign that your body is building immunity.
• They normally last less than a week.

How the vaccine reduces the chance of you suffering from COVID-19

There is no evidence currently that the new strain will be resistant to the vaccines we have, so we are continuing to vaccinate people as normal.

• The vaccine works by making a protein from the virus that is important for creating protection.
• This protein works in the same way as they do in other vaccines, by stimulating the immune system to make antibodies and cells to fight the infection.
• It may take a week or two for your body to build up some protection from the first dose of vaccine.
• Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective - some people may still get COVID-19 despite having a vaccination, but this should be less severe.

COVID-19 Vaccine - Frequently Asked Questions

Protecting those you care for

• Evidence on whether COVID-19 vaccination reduces the chance of passing on the virus is not yet clear.
• Some vaccinated people may get mild or asymptomatic infection and therefore be able to pass the virus on - but any infection in a vaccinated person will be less severe and the person will be contagious for a shorter period of time.
• You can still carry the virus on your body and clothes if you come into contact with it, meaning you could still infect others once you have been vaccinated.
• You therefore still need to follow your workplace guidance, including wearing the correct personal protection equipment (PPE) and taking part in any screening programmes.
• Testing will continue, to help keep our communities and care settings safe.

Pregnancy, breastfeeding and fertility

The vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnancy. Until more information is available pregnant women should not be routinely vaccinated.

• Potential vaccination benefits are particularly important for some pregnant women. This includes those who are at very high risk of catching the infection or those with clinical conditions that put them at high risk of suffering serious complications from COVID-19. Pregnant women should discuss this with their nurse or doctor.
• COVID-19 vaccines do not contain live coronavirus, nor do they contain any additional ingredients that are harmful to pregnant women or their babies.
• There is no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in breastfeeding or on breastfed infants. Despite this, COVID-19 vaccines are not thought to be a risk to breastfeeding infants, and the benefits of breast-feeding are well known. Because of this, national advice is that the vaccine can be had whilst breastfeeding.
• There is no evidence to suggest the vaccine affects fertility, and no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines would impact on women's fertility.

COVID-19 vaccination: a guide for women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding

The RCOG and the RCM respond to misinformation around Covid-19 vaccine and fertility

People with allergies

If you have allergies it should not deter you from having the vaccine, especially if they are seasonal allergies.

• People who receive the vaccine are monitored before leaving their appointment and can access medical care if they experience reactions.
• However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) advise on a precautionary basis that people with a significant history of allergic reactions do not receive the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.

People who have had COVID-19, had the flu vaccine or are unwell

If you have, or had, COVID-19

Wait a while before getting vaccinated.

• It is not known how long any immunity may last.
• Although naturally acquired immunity as a result of past infections provides some immunity, it is at a lower level and for a shorter time than if you have been vaccinated.
• Wait at least 4 weeks after you had symptoms.
• Or wait 4 weeks since your positive test if you didn't have any symptoms.
• And wait until you have recovered from your COVID-19 infection.

If you have had the flu vaccine

This doesn't protect you from COVID-19.

• If you are eligible for both vaccines, you should have them both.

If you are unwell

It is better to wait until you have recovered to have your vaccine, but try to have it as soon as possible.

• You should not attend a vaccine appointment if you are self-isolating, waiting for a COVID-19 test due to symptoms or unsure if you are fit and well.

Information in other languages

• Vaccine information in community languages
• BSL video guide on COVID-19 vaccination for eligible adults
• Information in other languages includes isolation and health advice, how to access help from Community Response and more.