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 remains our first line of defence against the virus and the best way to keep you, your family, and friends safe.

The Vaccination Programme in Somerset is offering:

First, second and third (initial booster) vaccinations for all eligible over 18 year olds
First and second vaccinations for 12 to 17 year olds
Vaccinations for all children aged between 5 to 11 (including those who are who are clinically at risk, or live with someone who is immunosuppressed). There are a number of specific clinics dedicated to this cohort and these can be found when booking online or through the grab-a-jab walk-in service. Extra time is allocated at each appointment to ensure reassurance and support to children and their carers.
A third vaccination for people with severely weakened immune systems as part of their primary COVID-19 vaccination schedule
Anyone who is 75 on or after the 1 July 2022 is now asked to wait until the Autumn to get their next booster, although people who are immunosuppressed are still able to come forwards.
Pregnant women are also being encouraged to have their vaccinations and are advised to speak with their midwife for further advice.

Appointments can be made by calling 119 or booking online through the National Booking Service. A number of walk-in clinics are available. Details and times can be found by visiting the Grab a Jab website.

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.

The Autumn Booster

The Autumn Booster Vaccination Programme began on the 5 September 2022, focusing first on delivering the vaccination to care home residents and people who are housebound.

Appointments are available to people aged 65 and over, pregnant people, immunosuppressed individuals, health and social care workers and paid and unpaid carers. Health and Social Care staff must self-declare when booking their appointment, but they will not be required to bring along evidence of this to the appointment.
Appointments are now available to anyone who is:
- Age 65 or over
- Pregnant
- Immunosuppressed
- Health and Social Care Worker
- Carer (paid or unpaid)
Vaccinations are currently by appointment only. The NHS will be inviting all eligible people to come forward but anyone who falls into the groups listed above can book now online using the National Booking Service, or by phoning 119.

To receive the Autumn Booster, people must have already received their full course of previous vaccinations (1st, 2nd dose and initial booster) with the last vaccination being 91 days or more prior.

All eligible people are strongly encouraged to accept the vaccination that is offered as soon as they are able. The Autumn booster will reduce the chance of you becoming severely unwell from Covid-19 this winter. It may take a few days for your body to build up some extra protection from the booster and you may experience mild side effects such as feeling tired, headaches and mild flu-like symptoms.

The NHS is experiencing high demand for the COVID-19 autumn booster vaccination, and the clinics are very busy. They are working hard to increase capacity and appointments as soon as possible.

People are also encouraged to get their flu jab and in some cases these may be offered at the same time as the Covid vaccination. For more information about who is eligible for the free flu jab, please visit Flu vaccine – NHS.

If you are unwell, please wait until you have recovered to have your vaccine. If you have had confirmed Covid-19 you should ideally wait 4 weeks before having your autumn booster. You should not attend a vaccine appointment if you are self-isolating or waiting for a Covid-19 test.

Book or manage a coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination

NHS – A guide to the COVID-19 autumn booster

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
Please follow the guidance – Living safely with respiratory infections, including COVID-19

You will 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.

Booster vaccinations

There are 2 booster doses of the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine you may be able to get:

a booster for everyone aged 16 and over, and some children aged 12 to 15
a spring booster for people who turned 75 years on or before 30 June 2022, people who live in a care home for older people or people aged 12 and over who have a weakened immune system

If you have not had a booster dose yet, you’re still eligible and can book anytime.

The following people should wait to be contacted by the NHS before booking another booster:

people who turned 75 years on or after 1 July 2022
people who had their last booster on or after 21 March 2022

You should still book a booster if you have a weakened immune system.

If you’ve had a positive COVID-19 test, you need to wait before getting the COVID-19 vaccine.

People aged 18 and over, and young people aged 12 to 15 at high risk from COVID-19, need to wait 4 weeks.

Young people aged 16 and 17 who are not at high risk from COVID-19 need to wait for 12 weeks.

If you or your child have symptoms of COVID-19, but have not had a test, you should wait until your symptoms are better before you get the vaccine. You can talk to a healthcare professional at the vaccination site about this.

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

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, fertility and women's health vaccination information

Here are some videos that cover common questions about the COVID-19 vaccine on:

• Pregnancy, breastfeeding, fertility, and women’s health
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding
• Fertility and women’s health

And a video where doctors share their experience of treating pregnant women with Covid-19.

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

COVID-19 vaccination for 5 to 11 year-olds

Latest NHS News – Vaccines are now available for 5 to 11 year olds

COVID-19 vaccination guides for parents of children aged 5 to 11
All parents should receive either guide 1 or guide 3 below with their invitation, and all parents should be given guide 2 with the record card. They are essential elements of the consent and after care process.

1. A guide for parents of children aged 5 to 11 years
2.What to expect after your child’s COVID-19 vaccination
3.A guide for parents of children aged 5 to 11 at high risk

Information on how to get these leaflets in other languages and formats can also be found on GOV.UK.

COVID-19 vaccination 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

Vaccine Knowledge Project

GOV.UK

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

COVID-19 vaccination: easy-read resources for children and young people – Easy-read guides providing information on coronavirus (COVID-19) and vaccination.

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

COVID-19 vaccination: resources for children and young people aged 12 to 17 years – Information for eligible children and young people aged 12 to 17 years on COVID-19 vaccination.

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

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: 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.

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.

Other information

Vaccination A4 Flyer for support and outreach workers and those working with those experiencing homelessness

Coronavirus vaccines explained

COVID-19 Vaccination Myths

Latest local vaccination news

You can find the latest local vaccination news on this NHS Somerset Clinical Commissioning Group – COVID-19 Vaccinations in Somerset page.

Vaccination information in other languages

Autumn Booster Leaflets – Vaccination information in other languages

Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Bulgarian, Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional, Cantonese), Estonian, Farsi, French, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Panjabi, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Romany, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Ukrainian, Urdu, Yiddish and Yoruba.

An English large print version is available to order.

A Braille version of this leaflet is available to order.

British Sign Language (BSL) videos on COVID-19 vaccination are available to view or download.

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.

Ukrainian – Translated health information for patients

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