Merton COVID-19 vaccination programme stakeholder update from The South West London CCG communications team.
They have created a COVID-19 vaccination information page for each borough
The link to the web page https://swlondonccg.nhs.uk/your-area/merton/merton-covid-19-vaccination-programme-update/
| Messages to share |
| The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are safe and effective. They will give you the best protection against coronavirus |
| The NHS will let you know when it is your turn to have a vaccine. It is important not to contact the NHS for a vaccination before then |
| You must have a booked appointment to receive your vaccine. Please do not turn up without an appointment – thank you to everyone for being patient and waiting to be contacted |
| Please continue to follow all the guidance to control the virus and save lives – hands, face, space |
With 35 vaccination sites now live across South West London, the NHS continues to accelerate the biggest immunisation programme in our history.
As we run more clinics, visit more care homes and the housebound in their own homes, we are all working hard to offer all over 70s and front-line health and care staff a vaccine by Monday 15 February 2021.
National figures published last week report that our local clinicians have already vaccinated around 140,000 residents, an increase of around 45,000 on those reported in the previous week.
You can find full details on the NHS England website
Questions and answers of the week
- Is there enough vaccine supply?
Yes. We are confident that there is enough supply coming to all our vaccination sites to enable everyone over 70 to receive their first dose by 15 February and to offer all adults their first dose by autumn.
- Will the vaccines work with the new strains?
The coronavirus (Covid-19) vaccines are safe and effective. They will give you the best protection against the virus. Whilst there are new strains developing, having the vaccine when offered remains the best form of defence against Covid-19. Scientists are now looking at the characteristics of the virus in relation to the vaccines. Viruses, such as the winter flu virus, often branch into different strains but these small variations rarely render vaccines ineffective.
- How effective are the vaccines? How long do they take to work?
The vaccines are part of our defence – but we need to continue with hands, face, space. The 1st dose of the Covid-19 vaccine should give you good protection from coronavirus. 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, so you should continue to take recommended precautions to avoid infection. It is important to follow the guidance during lockdown to protect yourself and your family, friends and colleagues you still need to:
- practice social distancing
- wear a face mask
- wash your hands carefully and frequently
- follow the current guidance at www.gov.uk/coronavirus
- What are the ingredients of the Covid-19 vaccine?
The approved Covid-19 vaccines do not contain any foetal material, animal products or eggs. All ingredients are published in healthcare information on the MHRA’s (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) website.
o For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19
o For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine information is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca
- How were vaccines developed so quickly?
Medicines including vaccines are highly regulated – and that is no different for the approved Covid-19 vaccines. The MHRA (Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency) the official UK regulator, have said that both of these vaccines have good safety and offer a high level of protection. There are several reasons why it was possible to develop the vaccines relatively quickly compared to other medicines:
- The different phases of the clinical trial were delivered back-to-back instead of running one after the other, this sped up the clinical process;
- Data from the clinical trials was looked at as soon as it was available so experts at the MHRA could review results as the trial was being delivered. They could ask questions along the way and request extra information as needed – as opposed to getting all information at the end of a trial.
- Clinical trials managed to recruit people very quickly as a global effort meant thousands of people were willing to volunteer.
