V1.4 24/02/2021 Surrey Heath COVID-19 Vaccination Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) If you are a registered patient with one of the following GP practices (surgery): Bartlett Group Practice (Frimley Green and Ash Vale) Camberley Health Centre (Camberley) Lightwater Practice (Lightwater) Park House Practice (Bagshot) Park Road Group Practice (Camberley, Old Dean and Heatherside) Station Road Practice (Frimley) Upper Gordon Road Practice (Camberley) Your practice will arrange your vaccination in order of priority as set nationally. You will be invited to attend the Lakeside Country Club COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic, Wharf Road, Frimley Green, Camberley GU16 6PT. This is by appointment only, do not turn up without an appointment, as you will be turned away. You do not need to call your practice to make an appointment, as the practice will contact you when you are eligible by text, phone or letter. If you have a question about your vaccination or need help booking your vaccination following an invitation, please call Surrey Heath Borough Council Contact Centre, who are working with our GP practices, on 01276 707100 (Monday – Thursday 8.30am-5pm, Friday 8.30am-4.30pm). Below are some frequently asked questions: 1. Information about the COVID-19 vaccine 2. How will patients be invited for a vaccination? 3. Vaccination day – what do I need to know? 4. After my vaccination – what do I need to know? 1. Information about the COVID-19 vaccine What is the COVID-19 vaccine? The NHS is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people most at risk from coronavirus. The vaccine gives you the best protection against coronavirus and will be given as an injection in the upper arm. It's given as 2 doses. You will have the 2nd dose up to 12 weeks after having the 1st dose. V1.4 24/02/2021 Who can get the COVID-19 vaccine? The NHS is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people most at risk from coronavirus. 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: people aged 64 and over people who are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable) people who are at moderate risk from coronavirus (clinically vulnerable) people who live or work in care homes health and social care workers people who are eligible for Carer's Allowance – find out more about Carer's Allowance on GOV.UK The order in which people will be offered the vaccine is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). Read the latest JCVI advice on priority groups for the COVID-19 vaccination on GOV.UK. When will I get my vaccine? A prioritisation list has been produced in order for the vaccine to be delivered to groups who need it first. The NHS will contact you when you are eligible to receive the vaccine and provide you with information about location and date. Please don't contact the NHS or your practice to seek a vaccine before then. Why is it important to get your COVID-19 vaccination? Getting your COVID-19 vaccination as soon as you can, should protect you and may help to protect your family and those you care for. The COVID-19 vaccine should help reduce the rates of serious illness and save lives and will therefore reduce pressure on the NHS and social care services. If you’re a frontline health or social care worker, you are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 at work. Is the NHS confident the vaccine is safe? Yes. The NHS will not offer any COVID-19 vaccinations to the public until experts have signed off that it is safe to do so. The MHRA, the official UK regulator, have said this V1.4 24/02/2021 vaccine is very safe and highly effective, and we have full confidence in their expert judgement and processes. As with any medicine, vaccines are highly regulated products. There are checks at every stage in the development and manufacturing process, and continued monitoring once it has been authorised and is being used in the wider population. How effective is the COVID-19 vaccine? The 1st dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should give you good protection from coronavirus. But you need to have the 2 doses of the vaccine to give you longer lasting protection. There is a chance you might still get or spread coronavirus even if you have the vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine that you have had has been shown to reduce the chance of you suffering from COVID-19 disease. Each vaccine has been tested in more than 20,000 people in several different countries and shown to be safe. 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. Some people may still get COVID-19 despite having a vaccination, but this should be less severe. This means it is important to: continue to follow social distancing guidance if you can, wear something that covers your nose and mouth in places where it's hard to stay away from other people How many people have been vaccinated so far? Figures for the total numbers of people who have been vaccinated in the UK and across our region are updated regularly and can be seen here: https://coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/healthcare Is one vaccine better than the other – can I choose? People cannot choose which vaccine they receive. All available vaccines have to be approved by passing the Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency’s (MHRA) tests on safety and efficacy. So, people should be assured that whatever vaccine they get, it will be highly effective and protect them from coronavirus. Can I catch COVID-19 from the vaccine? You cannot catch COVID-19 from the vaccine but it is possible to have caught COVID-19 and not realise you have the symptoms until after your vaccination appointment. Why has my 2nd vaccine dose been delayed and why is there a prioritisation of the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccines? V1.4 24/02/2021 The four UK Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) have said that, ‘Prioritising the first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible on the priority list will protect the greatest number of at risk people overall in the shortest possible time’. This means that second doses of both vaccines will be administered towards the end of the recommended vaccine dosing schedule of 12 weeks. This will maximise the number of people getting vaccinated and therefore receiving protection in the next 12 weeks; maximising the impact of the vaccine programme in its primary aims of reducing mortality and hospitalisations and protecting the NHS and equivalent health services. Two doses of the vaccine are still needed to get the best protection from the virus. Is the vaccine vegan/vegetarian friendly? Yes, the COVID-19 vaccine does not contain any meat derivatives or porcine products. If, and when, further vaccines are approved we will publish information about known allergens or ingredients that are important for certain faiths, cultures and beliefs. What if I’ve taken part in a vaccine trial? If you have been taking part in a vaccine trial please continue to do so until you are offered the approved COVID-19 vaccine. Once you are offered a vaccination appointment, please contact your trial coordinator to ask whether you have received an active vaccine already or not. What is the evidence to show the vaccine is safe for BAME communities? The phase three study of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated a vaccine efficacy of 95%, with consistent efficacy across age, gender and ethnicity. Overall, among the participants who received the COVID-19 vaccine 82.1% were White, 9.6% were Black or African American, 26.1% were Hispanic/Latino, 4.3% were Asian and 0.7% were Native American/Alaskan. I have had my flu vaccine, do I need the COVID-19 vaccine as well? The flu vaccine does not protect you from COVID-19. As you are eligible for both vaccines you should have them both, but normally separated by at least a week. Will the COVID-19 vaccine protect me from flu? No, the COVID-19 vaccine will not protect you against the flu. If you have been offered a flu vaccine, please try to have this as soon as possible to help protect you, your family and patients from flu this winter. Do people who have already had COVID-19 get vaccinated? V1.4 24/02/2021 Yes, they should get vaccinated. There is no evidence of any safety concerns from vaccinating individuals with a past history of COVID-19 infection, or with detectable COVID- 19 antibody, so people who have had COVID-19 disease (whether confirmed or suspected) can still receive the COVID-19 vaccine when it is their time to do so. I’m currently ill with COVID-19, can I get the vaccine? People currently unwell and experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not receive the COVID-19 vaccine until they have recovered. I am pregnant, can I get vaccinated against COVID-19? There's no evidence the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe if you're pregnant. But more evidence is needed before you can routinely be offered it. The JCVI has updated its advice to recommend you may be able to have the vaccine if you're pregnant and: at high risk of getting coronavirus because of where you work have a health condition that means you're at high risk of serious complications of coronavirus You can have the COVID-19 vaccine if you're breastfeeding.