Somerset’s COVID-19 Vaccination Programme

Latest information

The latest information on vaccination locations and sites and questions and answers about the programme can be found on the NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group website

Introduction

The vaccine is designed to prevent serious illness and death from Covid-19. Even if you’ve had the vaccine, please remember that you can still catch it and might still be able to pass it on.

The vaccination is available from a number of locations in the county, to enable easier access for as many people as possible. Locations include large county sites, community sites, hospital hubs, some GP surgeries and using teams of mobile vaccinators for those who cannot leave their homes.

The vaccine is free to those eligible and that we would never ask you for payment or for you to give your card details to us.

Please do not contact us or visit any of our sites to ask about your vaccine, someone will contact you.

When we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments.

How you can support the NHS

You have an important part to play to help the NHS’s largest vaccination programme in history:

please do not contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, the NHS will contact you
when the NHS do contact you, please attend your booked appointments
and please continue to follow all the guidance to stay safe and prevent the spread

You’ll need to be registered with a GP surgery in England (to get a vaccine).

You can register with a GP if you do not have one here.

Third vaccination dose booster

Millions of vulnerable people are now being offered a Covid-19 booster vaccine. The programme will be rolled out to the same priority groups as previously. This means care home residents, health and social care workers, people aged over 50, those aged 16 to 49 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19, adult carers, and adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals will be prioritised.

The NHS will contact people as soon as possible to discuss their needs and arrange an appointment for a third dose where clinically appropriate.

This flu vaccination and Covid-19 boosters will be critical to protecting lives, livelihoods and the NHS and ensure the protection vaccines provide for those most at risk of severe illness from Covid-19 will be maintained over the winter months. It’s critical to maximise uptake of both vaccines amongst eligible groups. The national campaign will focus on the following eligible groups.

Covid-19

Care home residents and staff
Frontline health and social care workers
People who are clinically extremely vulnerable
Adults 16 to 65 in at risk groups
50+ year olds

Flu

65+ year olds
People with long term health conditions
Pregnant women
Parents of 2 to 16 year olds
50 to 64 year olds
Frontline health and social care workers

There will be flexibility in the programme, allowing all those eligible to receive their booster from 6 months after their second doses. This approach will allow more vulnerable people to be given their boosters quicker.

Data published by ONS shows people who have not been vaccinated account for around 99% of all deaths involving Covid-19 in England in the first half of this year.

NHS – Find out who can get a booster dose and how

Vaccination Programme for 12 to 15 year olds

The UK’s Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) all agree that while Covid-19 is typically mild or asymptomatic in most young people, it can be very unpleasant for some and 1 dose of the vaccine will provide good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation.

Vaccinating 12 to 15 year-olds should also help to reduce the need for young people to have time-off school and reduce the risk of the spread of Covid-19 within schools.

The Covid-19 secondary schools vaccine programme should provide protection to young people and reduce the disruption to face to face education. This will help to keep young people emotionally well and happier.

Healthy school-aged children aged 12 to 15 will primarily receive one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination in their school, with alternative provision for those who are home schooled, in secure services or specialist mental health settings.

Somerset schools will have three primary roles which will be familiar to them from other vaccination programmes:

to provide information to their School Age Immunisation Nursing Team (SAINT) on which children on their roll are eligible for the vaccine
to share the information leaflet, consent form and invitation letter supplied by the SAINT team with parents and children
to provide the space within school, and the time away from the timetable, to enable vaccinations to take place

Invitations for the jabs are being sent out now and parental, guardian or carer consent will be sought by vaccination healthcare staff prior to vaccination. This is a well-established process used for all school vaccination programmes.

Vaccine Facts for Young People and Parents
We know that some schools have experienced anti-vaccination protests linked to this programme.

Making facts and information about the vaccination easily available to parents and children will help families reach an informed decision about whether to take up the invitation. The vaccine is not mandatory and no one should feel pressured or stigmatised following their decision.

These 2 videos from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) help explain how we know the vaccine is safe in more detail:

Actor Jason Forbes tackles some of the common myths about the vaccine here

Vaccination resources and guidance
The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is leading a campaign to help tackle the spread of false information about the COVID-19 vaccine. Sharing false information about the COVID-19 vaccine can be dangerous:

Check information about the COVID-19 vaccine before sharing it online. The NHS is the best source of information.
Inaccurate claims can circulate quickly — you can stop the spread of misinformation by checking the accuracy of information before passing it on.
Check before you share by asking yourself three questions before passing on information online.
- Look closely – does the information seem trustworthy?
- Check – is it coming from an expert?
- Still unsure if it’s true? Don’t share it.

Hashtags for this campaign are:

#COVIDVaccine
#FalseInformation
#MisInformation

Check before you share – COVID-19 Misinformation Toolkit

Vaccine Knowledge Project

GOV.UK

Guidance and leaflets for children and young people – Information for eligible children and young people on COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read resources for children and young people

COVID-19 vaccination: resources for schools and parents – Consent forms, leaflets and guidance for parents and schools.

COVID-19 vaccination: checklist for parents of children aged 12 to 15 years

Help with getting to vaccination appointments

If you are not able to drive yourself, but you have a family member or friend who might be able to support you – it’s always worth having that conversation now.

While many older and more vulnerable people will be able to attend a location close to their home, some will be relying on public transport.

We are working with Community Transport and Slinky Demand Responsive Services across Somerset to allow free travel for bus pass holders when attending vaccination appointments. You can find information and contact details for Community Transport Services on Travel Somerset

If you are concerned about getting to an appointment, or need other help or support during the pandemic, please phone the Coronavirus helpline on 0300 790 6275. Lines are open from 8am to 6pm, seven days a week.

Download the poster above here

More information

NHS

You can find out more on the roll out of the NHS vaccination programme in Somerset on the NHS Somerset CCG website

Coronavirus vaccination – Book your COVID-19 vaccination, read about the vaccine and find out about getting your vaccination status for travelling abroad.

Find out who can get a booster dose and how

Booster Dose Resources – A guide to booster vaccination for individuals aged 18 years and over.

After vaccination information – This short NHS Public Health England video explains that although the vaccines show extremely good protection, no vaccine is 100% effective and that it is possible to still get COVID-19 infection or pass it on despite having two doses of vaccine. It is still not yet known whether the vaccine can stop the transmission of the virus to others.

GOV.UK

COVID-19 vaccination programme – Documents relating to the new coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination programme.

COVID-19 vaccination: booking an appointment letter – NHS letter inviting eligible adults to book a COVID-19 vaccination appointment.

COVID-19 vaccination: guide for adults – Information for eligible adults on COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination: for people with a weakened immune system – Information on the third dose for people with a weakened immune system.

COVID-19 vaccination: resources for children aged 5 to 11 years – Information for parents of eligible at risk children aged 5 to 11 years on COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination: guide for employers – Information for employers about the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read leaflets – Easy-read guides providing information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination: British Sign Language resources – British Sign Language (BSL) videos on COVID-19 vaccination

COVID-19 vaccination: what to expect after vaccination – Information for people who have had their first COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination: worried about having your second dose of AstraZeneca? – Leaflet for people eligible for COVID-19 vaccination who have had their first dose of AstraZeneca vaccine and have concerns about having the second dose.

COVID-19 vaccination and rare side effects – Guidance relating to blood clotting, myocarditis and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) after COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID-19 vaccination: women of childbearing age, currently pregnant or breastfeeding

What your NHS COVID Pass letter tells you (easy read) – Easy-read version of the non-personal information in your NHS COVID Pass letter about your COVID-19 status.

If you cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter (easy read) – Easy read version of the non-personal information sent to you if you cannot get an NHS COVID Pass letter about your COVID-19 status.

Using your NHS COVID Pass for travel abroad and at venues and settings in England – How to use the NHS COVID Pass to demonstrate your coronavirus (COVID-19) status when travelling abroad and domestically at venues and settings in England.

COVID-19 Pass fraud – Raising awareness about COVID Pass fraud and how to get your free NHS COVID Pass.

COVID-19 Vaccination Fraud – Please be aware, criminals are using the COVID-19 vaccine as a way to target the public by tricking them to hand over cash or financial details.

COVID-19 vaccination: booster dose resources – Information on the booster dose for eligible individuals.

COVID-19 medical exemptions: proving you are unable to get vaccinated – How to apply for official proof that, for medical reasons, you’re unable to be vaccinated and/or tested for COVID-19.

Other information

Coronavirus vaccines explained

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths

If you need Coronavirus help or support, contact Somerset’s Coronavirus helpline on 0300 790 6275

Latest local vaccination news

You can find the latest local vaccination news on the following pages:

COVID-19 Vaccinations in Somerset – NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group
Somerset County Council Newsroom
Somerset County Council latest Coronavirus updates

Vaccination information in other languages

NHS England – Vaccination information in other languages

Public Health England – Translations

Diversity Voice has lots of translated COVID-19 resources available.

COVID-19 vaccination status: what your pass letter tells you – Translated versions of the non-personal information in the letter confirming that someone has had the full course of the COVID-19 vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccination status: if you cannot get a pass letter – Translated versions of the non-personal information sent to you if you cannot get a post-vaccination confirmation letter about your COVID-19 vaccination status.

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Arabic

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Bengali

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Bulgarian

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Simplified Chinese

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Czech

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – French

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Hungarian

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Italian

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Lithuanian

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Polish

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Portuguese

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths – Romanian