In England, the vaccine is being offered in some hospitals and pharmacies, at local vaccination centres run by GPs and at larger vaccination centres. More centres are opening all the time.
It's being given to:
Read the latest JCVI advice on priority groups for the COVID-19 vaccination on GOV.UK
If you're pregnant, you should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine when you're eligible for it.
It's preferable for you to have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine because they've been more widely used during pregnancy in other countries and have not caused any safety issues.
You can also have the COVID-19 vaccine if you're breastfeeding.
Speak to a healthcare professional before you have the vaccination. They will discuss the benefits and risks with you.
There's no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine has any effect on your chances of becoming pregnant. There's no need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination.
The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19.
The JCVI has advised that adult household contacts of adults (over 16 years of age) with severe immunosuppression should be offered COVID-19 vaccination alongside priority group 6. There is more information on the links below:
You can find a GP practice on the NHS.uk website. You will need to fill in a form to register – for some practices you can do this on their website so check there first. Alternatively, you can download a GMS1 registration form on GOV.UK or arrange a time to pick up a registration form from the GP surgery. If you have problems registering with a GP practice, call the NHS England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 311 22 33.
You have a choice of places to be vaccinated:
You will be sent a letter with instructions on how to book your appointment at a vaccination centre.
Please ignore this letter if:
Please don’t contact your GP about a vaccination appointment, the NHS will be in touch when an appointment is available.
Coronavirus can affect anyone. If you are an older adult and have a long-term health condition, COVID-19 can be very serious and in some cases fatal.
You should have the COVID-19 vaccine if you are in one of the following categories:
This is the biggest vaccination programme in UK history, which means it will take time to vaccinate all the eligible people.
The COVID-19 vaccines will become available as they are approved for use and as each batch is manufactured. So every dose is needed to protect those at highest risk.
The vaccines do not contain living organisms and are safe for people with disorders of the immune system. These people may not respond so well to the vaccine.
A very small number of people who are at risk of COVID-19 cannot have the vaccine – this includes people who have severe allergies.
People who are suffering from a fever-type illness should also postpone having the vaccine until they have recovered.
The government has said: “All frontline social care workers directly working with people clinically vulnerable to COIVD-19 who need care and support irrespective of where they work (for example in people’s own homes, day centres, care homes for working age adults or supported housing); whether they care for clinically vulnerable adults or children; or who they are employed by (for example local government, NHS private sector or third sector employees).”
Not necessarily. The list of people defined as “at risk” or “clinically vulnerable” is slightly different from the list of people who are eligible for flu vaccine. The JCVI defines clinically vulnerable people as those with:
GP practices will be working through their lists of patients and will contact them when they are eligible and have supply of the vaccine
Not necessarily. An individual with a more severe case of asthma may have been included in the Clinically Extremely Vulnerable group, in which case they will be vaccinated in group 4.
People with asthma which requires continuous or repeated use of systemic steroids or with previous exacerbations requiring hospital admission, will be vaccinated in priority group 6.
This will include:
On 16 February, the government announced they were expanding the number of people being asked to shield, that is those identified as being clinically extremely vulnerable to serious complications from covid.
Rather than being placed on the shielding list as a person has one type of health condition, people are being asked to shield based on a combination of factors including underlying health conditions, ethnicity, age, weight and deprivation.
All the new people now identified as extremely clinically vulnerable will get a letter from the government asking them to shield and explaining what they need to do. This means they will be advised to stay at home as much as possible and offered help such as for food or getting medicines where needed.
This data will be shared with GPs and the patients will be prioritised to be vaccinated. If newly added shielded patients haven’t yet had a vaccine, please do not contact your GP about the vaccine, the NHS will contact you when vaccines are available.
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