FAQs

Yes. 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. The NHS does not offer any COVID-19 vaccinations to the public unless it is approved as safe and effective by the UK regulator.  The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the official UK regulator authorising licensed use of medicines and vaccines by healthcare professionals, make this decision for each potential vaccine, and we have full confidence in their expert judgement and processes.

The global crisis that is COVID-19 has meant that we have been able to recruit patients to be involved in testing the vaccine much more quickly than would normally be the case.

Scientists had already been working on vaccines against the SARS group of viruses, of which COVID-19 is just one, for many years, so we were not starting from nothing.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine that has been approved for use in the UK has met very strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

None of the other vaccines under development will be available to the NHS until they have passed those same strict standards, which apply to every vaccine the NHS uses.

So far, thousands of people have been given a COVID-19 vaccine, and reports of serious side effects like allergic reactions have been very rare.

You should not have the vaccine if you’ve ever had a serious allergic reaction to medicines, vaccines or food.

Medicines including vaccines are highly regulated – and that is no different for the approved COVID-19 vaccines. There a number of enablers that have made this ground-breaking medical advancement possible and why it was possible to develop them relatively quickly compared to other medicines;

The different phases of the clinical trial were delivered to overlap instead of run sequentially which sped up the clinical process;
There was a rolling assessment of data packages as soon as they were available so experts at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency could review as the trial was being delivered, 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.

For both vaccines trial participants included a range of those from various ages, immune-compromised and those with underlying health conditions, and both found the efficacy of the vaccine translates through all the subgroups. Details of trial participants for both vaccines are published online. For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine information is available here (opens in a new window). For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine information is available here (opens in a new window).

The Public Assessment Reports contain all the scientific information about the trials and information on trial participants. For the Pfizer trial, participants included 9.6% black/African, 26.1% Hispanic/Latino and 3.4% Asian. For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine 10.1% of trail recipients were Black and 3.5% Asian. There is no evidence either of the vaccines will work differently in different ethnic groups.

There’s no evidence the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. But more evidence is needed before you can be routinely offered the vaccine.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has updated its advice to recommend you may be able to have the vaccine if you’re:

• pregnant and at high risk of serious complications of coronavirus
• if you’re breastfeeding

Speak to a healthcare professional before you have the vaccination. They will discuss the benefits and risks of the COVID-19 vaccine with you.

You do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination. The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19.

Read the latest COVID-19 vaccine advice if you’re pregnant, may get pregnant or are breastfeeding on GOV.UK

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. For the Pfizer trial, participants included 9.6% black/African, 26.1% Hispanic/Latino and 3.4% Asian.

We will need to see the final clinical evidence from trials on this. The important point for any vaccine is whether the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approve it for use – if it does then that means it’s a worthwhile vaccine to have and people should have it if they are eligible. The Government has in principle secured access to six different vaccine candidates, including the now approved BioNTech/Pfizer and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines. The results seen for all the vaccine candidates so far have been very encouraging and if borne out by final assessments would each be classed as being very effective.

The vaccines that the NHS uses and in what circumstances will be decided by t Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Both vaccines are classed as being very effective. The Oxford/AstraZeneca is easier to store and transport, meaning we can deliver them in more places, and we expect to have more doses available as they are manufactured in the UK, so we would expect that most people are likely to receive this vaccine over the coming weeks and months.

The NHS has begun vaccinating the priority cohorts. When we get more vaccine supplies this will potentially allow us to go further and faster, but we are not there yet.

The NHS will only deploy vaccines which the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) decide – after extensive assessment – are safe and effective. The MHRA’s assessment of the Moderna vaccine is ongoing. The Government have provisionally ordered several million doses of this vaccine if it is approved, but we don’t expect Moderna to be able to make these available until Spring 2021.

As will all vaccinations and medicines, patient safety is the NHS number one priority. Public Health England have robust systems in place to monitor surveillance and will be following incident reporting protocols in the usual way.

The vaccine is very well tolerated with reported side effects similar to the flu jab – soreness or redness at the injection site and some have reported a headache. Further detail on side effects can be found in the leaflets below.

Since the vaccination programme began in early December, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been notified of two reports of anaphylaxis, and a further possible allergic reaction, shortly after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. The individuals received prompt treatment and recovered.

Incidents such as these are common with new vaccines and the MHRA has tried and tested processes to deal with them. The public can be reassured that we continue to adhere to the highest standards of safety as we provide this life-saving vaccine to those who need it most. Individuals should not get the vaccine if they have had a severe allergic reaction to any of the vaccine ingredients.

Tell staff before you are vaccinated if you have ever had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis). You should not have the vaccine if you’ve ever had a serious allergic reaction to medicines, vaccines or food. If you do have a reaction to the vaccine, it usually happens in minutes. Staff giving the vaccine are trained to deal with allergic reactions and treat them immediately.

It is important that anyone unsure about taking a particular type of vaccine should discuss it with their GP.

These are important details which the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will consider when assessing candidate vaccines for use. NHSE plans currently include provision for monitoring patients immediately after their dose is administered, and all patients will be provided with information on the vaccine they have received, how to look out for any side effects, and what to do if they do occur, including reporting them to the MHRA.

There is no material of animal origin in either vaccine. All ingredients are published in healthcare information on the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s website.

For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine information is available online.

For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca.

Information on the vaccine ingredients have been provided by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. A full list of ingredients for the qualitative and quantitative composition of the vaccine and a full list of the excipient composition of the vaccine can be found at point 6 in the Information for Recipients of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.

No. The vaccines are designed to produce an immune response to just a small part of the virus, the spike protein. This is the part of the virus that allows it to enter into human cells and cause infection. No whole COVID-19 virus or live virus is used in the vaccines. This means the vaccine cannot give you COVID-19 and does not make you infectious after you have had the vaccine. This means it is also safe for people with a suppressed immune system.

One dose of the vaccine offers important protection, at least in the short term. Updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people on the JCVI priority list should be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority. It is vital that you continue to adhere to social distancing, mask guidelines and practice good hand hygiene. No vaccine is 100% effective so it is also important for you to continue to follow any government or workplace advice even after you have completed the vaccination course.

The latest evidence suggests the 1st dose of the COVID-19 vaccine provides protection for most people for up to 3 months. As a result of this evidence, when you can have the 2nd dose has changed. This is also to make sure as many people can have the vaccine as possible.

To ensure as many people are vaccinated as quickly as possible, the Department for Health and Social Care now advise that the second dose of both the Oxford/AstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine should be scheduled up to 12 weeks apart.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said these vaccines are highly effective, but to get full protection people need to come back for the second dose – this is really important.

Both vaccines have been authorised on the basis of two doses because the evidence from the clinical trials shows that this gives the maximum level of protection.

The evidence doesn’t show any risk to not having the second dose other than not being as protected as you otherwise would be. We would urge everyone to show up for both of their appointments for their own protection as well as to ensure we don’t waste vaccines or the time of NHS staff.

​​​​​​​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.

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.

There is no evidence currently that the new strains will be resistant to the vaccine we have, so we are continuing to vaccinate people as normal. Scientists are looking now in detail at the characteristics of the virus in relation to the vaccine. Viruses, such as the winter flu virus, often branch into different strains but these small variations rarely render vaccines ineffective.

You should not have the vaccine if you have had confirmed COVID-19 infection in the previous 28 days unless you are advised by your doctor that it is suitable for you to do so.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation set criteria on an ongoing basis for who should get the vaccine when. GPs will be able to call in or go out to patients based on this, using their patient records. A national invite and recall system, drawn from GP patient records, may also be used.

Keep the same questions and answers

Not at this stage unless they fall into one of the priority groups. The priority groups are reviewed by the Not at this stage unless they fall into one of the priority groups. The priority groups are reviewed by the Joint Committee on Vaccines and Immunisations and, if it is deemed necessary, other groups may also be invited for a vaccination and, if it is deemed necessary, other groups may also be invited for a vaccination.

There’s no evidence the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe if you’re pregnant or breastfeeding. But more evidence is needed before you can be routinely offered the vaccine.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has updated its advice to recommend you may be able to have the vaccine if you’re:

• pregnant and at high risk of serious complications of coronavirus
• if you’re breastfeeding

Speak to a healthcare professional before you have the vaccination. They will discuss the benefits and risks of the COVID-19 vaccine with you.

You do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination. The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19.

Read the latest COVID-19 vaccine advice if you’re pregnant, may get pregnant or are breastfeeding on GOV.UK.

There is clear evidence that certain Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups have higher rates of infection, and higher rates of serious disease, morbidity and mortality. There is no strong evidence that ethnicity by itself (or genetics) is the sole explanation for observed differences in rates of severe illness and deaths. Certain health conditions are associated with increased risk of serious disease, and these health conditions are often overrepresented in certain black, Asian and minority ethnic groups. Societal factors, such as occupation, household size, deprivation, and access to healthcare can increase susceptibility to COVID-19 and worsen outcomes following infection. Prioritisation of persons with underlying health conditions will also provide for greater vaccination of BAME communities who are disproportionately affected by such health conditions.

The advice is for NHS England and NHS Improvement, the Department of Health and Social Care, Public Health England and the devolved administrations to work together to ensure that inequalities are identified and addressed in implementation. This could be through culturally competent and tailored communications and flexible models of delivery, aimed at ensuring everything possible is done to promote good uptake in black, Asian and minority ethnic groups and in groups who may experience inequalities in access to, or engagement with, healthcare services. These tailored implementation measures should be applied across all priority groups during the vaccination programme.

Yes, if they are in a priority group identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. We don’t yet know how long immunity lasts after having been infected with COVID-19, so getting vaccinated is just as important for those who have already had it as it is for those who haven’t.

Yes; it is unclear how long antibodies produced following infection may provide protection and whether the protection is as effective as that provided by vaccination. It is therefore recommended you have a vaccine if offered one.

Can people pick which vaccine they want?

Any vaccines that are available will have been approved by the medicine regulatory authorities so you should be assured that whatever vaccine you are offered, it is safe and effective.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommends to NHS England and Improvement the priority cohorts of people to receive the vaccination. It is then up to the local Primary Care Networks to decide which of their patients within the cohort should be invited to receive their vaccination. Patients over 80 are not then reprioritised within their cohort.

We would ask local people to remain patient and not to contact their local practice or PCN asking for a vaccination appointment at this time. Everyone will receive their vaccination and no one will be forgotten. Our system is working extremely hard to ensure everyone gets vaccinated as quickly as possible.

The COVID-19 vaccines will become available as they are approved for use and as each batch is manufactured.

So every dose is needed to protect those at highest risk. You will be called in as soon as there is enough vaccine available. Some people who are housebound or live in a care home and who can’t get to a local vaccination centre may have to wait for supply of the right type of vaccine. This is because only some vaccines can be transported between people’s homes.

Vaccines will be offered in a range of settings. Some vaccination teams will visit people to offer the vaccine, for example in care homes, other people may have to go to the nearest centre. Because some of the vaccine has to be stored in a very low temperature freezer, you may not be able to get the vaccine in your normal GP surgery.

Please try to attend the vaccination centre you are offered. If you cannot attend that centre you may have to wait to get the vaccine in a more convenient location.

No, the COVID-19 vaccination is only available through the NHS to eligible groups and it is a free vaccination.

• a blood cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
• diabetes
• dementia
• a heart problem
• a chest complaint or breathing diffculties, including bronchitis, emphysema or severe asthma
• a kidney disease
• a liver disease
• lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as HIV infection, steroid medication, chemotherapy or radiotherapy)
• rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or psoriasis
• have had an organ transplant
• had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
• a neurological or muscle wasting condition
• a severe or profound learning disability
• a problem with your spleen, eg sickle cell disease, or you have had your spleen removed
• are seriously overweight (BMI of 40 and above)
• are severely mentally ill

At the same time the vaccine will also be offered to:

• adults who provide regular care for an elderly or disabled person
• younger adults in long stay nursing and residential settings

All front line staff will be offered the vaccine. Local prioritisation has been agreed by local organisations to ensure those most at risk and caring for the most at risk patients are offered first. If you are a health or social care worker and cannot receive the vaccine at your place of work, alternative options will be offered. Please discuss with your line manager.

There are no plans for a COVID-19 vaccine to be compulsory. Just as with the winter flu vaccine, local NHS employers will be working hard to ensure 100% of staff are able to get vaccinated, and that any concerns that staff have are answered. We are confident that the vast majority of our staff – as they do every year for the flu vaccine – will choose to protect themselves and their patients by getting the vaccine.

The vaccine is given by injection into the arm or shoulder.

You will need two doses of the vaccine to gain the maximum protection. These doses will be given three to twelve weeks apart. One dose of the vaccine offers important protection, at least in the short term. Updated guidance from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended that as many people on the JCVI priority list should be offered a first vaccine dose as the initial priority. You will need to attend two appointments to receive both doses. If you do not have both doses the vaccine will not be fully effective.

No. You should not have your flu jab either a minimum of 7 days before the first COVID-19 vaccination dose or 7 days after you have had the second dose.

No. You are not required to have a test prior to your vaccination, however if you have any symptoms of COVID-19 infection you must follow government guidelines and must not attend the appointment. You should follow advice you have been given to re-book your appointment.

Not at this time.

The Government has secured access to six different vaccine candidates, across four different vaccine types, totalling over 350 million doses. This includes:

BioNTech/Pfizer BioNTech alliance – phase 3 clinical trials (40m doses)
University of Oxford/AstraZeneca partnership – phase 3 clinical trials (100m doses)
Moderna (7m doses)

Now the Pfizer BionTech and Oxford Astrazeneca have both been approved, enough doses will be available for everyone who wants one. However, we won’t have all of these doses immediately. The speed of vaccination will be subject to supply – but the UK expects to have received tens of millions of doses of vaccine by Easter. This is going to be a long-term programme.

Over the coming weeks and as more supplies are available, vaccination appointments will continue to be rolled out to other patient-facing health and care staff as per the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s guidance.

Ideally vaccination should be deferred until clinical recovery – around four weeks after the onset of symptoms or four weeks from the first confirmed positive specimen in those who are asymptomatic. 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. Having prolonged COVID-19 symptoms is not a contraindication to receiving COVID-19 vaccine. See Green Book Ch. 14a p. 15.

Individuals who are self-isolating should not attend a vaccine appointment. See COVID-19 vaccination: guide for older adults.

People may still become infected after vaccination, although they should be less likely to develop severe illness. The individual will still need to follow the guidance in their workplace, including wearing the correct personal protection equipment and taking part in any testing programmes. See COVID-19 vaccination: guide for healthcare workers.

People may still become infected even after vaccination. Any individual displaying symptoms of COVID-19 symptoms should self-isolate and arrange to be tested.

When it is the right time people will receive an invitation to come forward. For most people this will be in the form of a letter either from their GP or the national booking system; this will include all the information they need to book their appointments, including their NHS number.

The NHS will contact you when it’s your turn to have the vaccine, so please do not contact the NHS for a vaccination before then. Please act on your invite when it comes, and make sure you attend your appointments when you arrange them

The NHS has been working together with local partners to ensure that people are not disadvantaged because of where they live, whether they own a car or if they are not able to get about. This is why the NHS has developed three different models of delivery.

NHS Trusts will provide Hospital Hubs where vaccines can be safely stored and those in the highest priority groups can be vaccinated.
Vaccination Centres will be opening in the near future which will provide vaccination on a large scale. These sites will be in well-connected public venues.

GPs and Pharmacies will also provide vaccination services locally in the community.

The locations of Primary Care Network vaccinations centres across Suffolk and North East Essex  are:

• Fryatt Hospital, Harwich
• Jubilee Centre, Mildenhall
• Constable Country Medical Practice, East Bergholt
• Debenham Leisure Centre
• The Epicentre, Haverhill Research Park
• Hadleigh Health Centre
• Hardwicke House Surgery Cornard branch, Sudbury
• Lavenham branch, Long Melford Surgery
• Saxmundham Health
• Sizewell Sports & Social Club, Leiston
• The Grove Medical Centre, Felixstowe
• The Mix, Stowmarket
• Trinity Park Conference Centre, Ipswich
• Woodbridge Community Hall
• Kirkley Mill Surgery, Lowestoft
• Sole Bay Health Centre, Southwold 

The above venues are in addition to the sites that went live during December in Bury St Edmunds, Ipswich (x 2), Clacton, Colchester and Woolpit.

Additional sites will be announced in due course.

They will vaccinate people according to the current priority schedule which includes elderly vulnerable people aged 80 or over and health and care staff.

Other cohorts of people, as identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which determines the priority groups and schedule, will be contacted to receive their vaccination in due course.

If you are unable to get to the hospital vaccination hub you will still be offered the vaccination, possibly in your own home, on another date by your primary care provider.

Patients that have no other means of transport may be eligible for Community Transport schemes. Community transport is the term given to passenger transport schemes that are outside the usual travel options. These schemes help people who are rurally isolated or not easily able to access conventional public transport or with restricted mobility.

Please click here for more information about community transport

Our hospital vaccination hubs are safe and COVID secure. Any person needing to come to hospital should attend if they possibly can. Those attending for their appointment must wear a mask and observe social distance guidelines.

If you have your vaccination at a GP surgery, it will be given by the doctor or the practice nurse.
At Vaccination Centres, the vaccine will either be given by specially trained staff – either existing staff or those recruited specifically for the programme. There are a number of roles within the vaccination programme and these will require different levels of qualifications and experience.

Public Health England have compiled comprehensive training including injection administration, training on vaccines in general and the specific ones that will be used, and all the mandatory training NHS have to do. Locally, vaccinators will have inductions and orientation and importantly new vaccinators will be supervised and assessed by senior clinicians to ensure both their safety and of course the safety of the people they are vaccinating – just like any other vaccinator.

Our planning will ensure that there is as little as possible impact on other vital services by drawing on a pool of experienced NHS professionals through the NHS Bring Back Scheme, recruiting new vaccinators from amongst a wider group of healthcare professionals and others who complete training, and using independent Occupational Health providers.

Each vaccination site has been carefully selected and approved by a chief pharmacist, senior nurse and a primary care lead with a GP Clinical Lead. They are assessed on a number of criteria, including ease of access for the local population, disability access, the actual facilities themselves at each venue and whether there is adequate space to allow for the two metre distancing rule. Whilst the site might not be your usual GP surgery, it is part of your local ‘Primary Care Network’ that has come together to vaccinate the population during the pandemic. It is possible that new vaccination locations will be added as the vaccination programme develops.

No. While the vaccination prevents the development of the infection in around 90-95% of people, there is still a chance of contracting the virus or transmission to others. It is therefore very important to continue wearing a mask, social distancing and practicing good hand hygiene.

We expect these vaccines to work for at least a year – if not longer. This will be constantly monitored.
COVID-19 remains a new infection and close observation by experts continues. At this stage it is unclear whether the vaccine will need to given yearly, like the flu vaccine, or less frequently.
Trials for length of vaccine protection continue and will also inform how vaccination for COVID-19 is recommended in the future.

No, it definitely doesn’t. The content of the Covid vaccines does not go anywhere near our own genetic material and has no ability to change it or us.

No, it doesn’t contain either human or animal products (so no porcine content either).

Taking flu first: the flu vaccination used in our country does not contain live virus, so it does not – and cannot – give anyone flu.

If people do feel a bit under the weather after a flu jab it is because their own immune system is kicking in after the vaccination. Sometimes, if people catch a cold at the same as their vaccination they think it is due to the vaccine, but it isn’t – it’s just a coincidence.

The Covid vaccination does not contain the actual virus, so it’s physically impossible to catch the disease from it.

No, you won’t, it is by choice. If you decide against it you would need to be aware that you are at greater risk of the virus and of passing it on.

No, trials did include people from ethnic minority backgrounds. The vaccine producers did make a call for more volunteers recently so that the study matched vulnerable groups – just like they did with the over 65s too.

The COVID-19 vaccine will always be available free of charge. The NHS will never ask you to share bank details to confirm your identity or pay for a vaccine.