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Thousands of people in Britain have already taken their first hits from Covid-19 as NHS teams use the first 800,000 doses of the revolutionary vaccine. And with a million more coming soon, the jab campaign will accelerate rapidly.
Essentially, GP surgeries will start to function as vaccination centers, while ten more hospitals have opened jab clinics.
The vaccine lots are distributed according to the size of the local population.
MASS VACCINATION CENTERS:
1. Edinburgh International Conference Center
2. Newcastle, Center for Life Science Park
3. Southern Trust – South Lake Leisure Center, Craigavon
4. Northern Trust – Seven Towers Leisure Center, Ballymena
5. Western Trust – Foyle Arena, Londonderry
6. Omagh Leisure Complex, Omagh
7. Lakeside Leisure Forum, Enniskillen
8. St Helens, Totally Wicked Stadium
9. Manchester Tennis & Football Center
10. Derby Arena
11. Birmingham – Millennium Point and Black Country Living Museum, Dudley
12. Leicester Racecourse
13. Stevenage, Robertson House Conference Center
14. London Nightingale Hospital at the ExCel Center
15. Epsom Racecourse, Surrey 16. Bristol, Ashton Gate Football Stadium
17. Exeter, Sandy Park Rugby Stadium
HOW YOU WILL GET YOUR APPOINTMENT
DOES IT MATTER IN WHICH PART OF THE COUNTRY I LIVE?
People at highest risk will be given priority, regardless of whether they are at level 1, 2 or 3.
But there has been a “zip code lottery” element. The addition of ten more vaccination hospitals in England, in addition to the 50 announced to begin with, was a tacit admission by the NHS that certain areas, such as the Manchester, Bradford and Medway virus black spots in Kent, were not receiving the part that corresponds to them.
Vaccine batches are distributed according to the size of the local population, so this should mean that everyone has equal access to available doses. But regional vaccination rates are sure to vary as hospitals will review their patient lists at different speeds.
HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE TAKEN THEIR FIRST DOSE UNTIL NOW?
“Tens of thousands” have had it so far, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Thursday, but the exact number has not been released.
CALL SOMEONE TO GET THE JAB?
No. When it is your turn, the NHS will contact you by phone or letter to offer you an appointment, which will usually be a couple of days later. There have been reports of people calling their local hospital and getting hit on the same day. This is strongly discouraged.
SHOULD I TAKE THE JAB IF I HAVE ALLERGIES?
Dr June Raine, executive director of the Medicines and Health Products Regulatory Agency, which approved the vaccine, said: ‘Anaphylaxis [a severe allergic reaction] it is a known, although very rare, side effect of any vaccine.
“Most people will not have anaphylaxis, and the benefits of protecting people against Covid-19 outweigh the risks.
“Anyone who is required to receive the vaccine should continue their appointment and discuss any questions or medical history of serious allergies with the healthcare professional prior to receiving the vaccine.”
Margaret Keenan, 90, is the first patient in the UK to receive the Pfizer / BioNtech covid-19 vaccine at Coventry University Hospital.
WHAT IF YOU ARE SICK ON VACCINATION DAY?
Do not keep the appointment, call the NHS at the number they gave you and rearrange for another day.
ONCE AT THE CLINIC, WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
As with any vaccine, you will be asked questions about your health. Then a first dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine will be injected into the upper arm. Then you have to wait 15 minutes before leaving so the staff can make sure there are no adverse reactions.
DOES THE VACCINE OFFER DIRECT PROTECTION AFTER THE FIRST JAB?
No. Recipients of the Pfizer / BioNTech jab begin to develop immunity 12 days after the first dose, but they only have full immunity one week after the second dose, that is, 28 days after the first jab. You will most likely be given an appointment card with details of when to return for your second booster dose 21 days later, although paperwork procedures vary by areas. If you cannot make the booster jab appointment, please call to reschedule.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU REJECT THE JAB, BUT THEN YOU CHANGE YOUR OPINION?
You must call the team that offered you the original invitation. They will be happy to reschedule an appointment.
CAN THE VIRUS BE SPREAD TO OTHERS EVEN IF YOU HAVE HAD JAB?
This is a great unknown. Scientists are not sure that the Pfizer vaccine produces so-called “sterilizing immunity” as the trials did not prove this. They only checked to see if it kept people from getting sick. Pfizer says that since the vaccine is good at protecting against both severe and mild Covid disease, this “suggests that there is also the possibility of protecting against infection.” But more test results are needed before being sure.
WHO HAS A PRIORITY FOR JAB?
Only those in the top two groups on the priority list should receive the jab this week. The focus is on those over the age of 80 in the hospital or living in their own homes. The teams will also start visiting nursing homes in England within a week.
1. Residents in a nursing home (estimated total 425,000) and their caregivers (up to 1.5 million)
2. All 80 years or older (3.3 million) and front-line health and social care workers (1.5 million)
3. All people aged 75 and over (2.2 million)
4. All 70 years or older (3.3 million) and those considered clinically extremely vulnerable.
5. All people aged 65 and over (3.4 million)
6. All 16-64 year olds with underlying health problems that put them at increased risk for serious illness and death.
7. All persons aged 60 and over (3.7 million)
8. Anyone 55 and older (4.3 million)
9. All 50 years or older (4.7 million)
THE VULNERABLE Vaccinations will also be offered to people 16 years of age or older who have diseases such as: blood cancer; diabetes; Heart problem; chest discomfort or breathing difficulties; nephropathy; liver disease; reduced immunity due to disease or treatment; with organ transplantation; having had a stroke or transient ischemic attack; a neurological or muscle wasting condition; severe or profound learning disability; Down’s Syndrome; problem with your spleen or having your spleen removed; severely overweight; severe mental illness.
NOW JABS IN GP SURGERIES
Around 280 GP surgeries in England will begin operating as immunization centers in the coming days with the expected arrival of more than one million extra doses of Pfizer’s vaccine from its Belgian factory. These, in addition to the 800,000 that already exist in the country, will allow the NHS to increase the number of appointments in the run-up to Christmas. The vaccination staff will be working on Christmas Day. However, it appears that nursing home residents, despite being high on the priority list, will have to wait until mobile inoculation teams are ready for home visits. Health chiefs, however, hope that vaccinations in nursing homes will begin in the last days before the holidays. The logistics are more complicated than in GP surgeries because of the fragility of the vaccine vials and the need to keep them at minus 70 ° C (minus 94 ° F) or lower, and because the NHS wants to take a step at once.
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland
While vaccination of over 80s in community settings in Northern Ireland is being ‘actively’ considered, according to the decentralized Stormont government, there are no immediate plans for GP surgeries in Scotland, where the earliest implementation is expected be it in the New Year or early spring. The same applies in Wales.
