The NHS is currently offering the COVID-19 vaccine to people most at risk from coronavirus. The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine. People are being called forward who meet the criteria based on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendations.

The priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are:

1. Residents in a care home for older adults, and their carers
2. Over 80s, frontline health and care staff
3. Over 75s
4. Over 70s, and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. Over 65s
6. All individuals aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions, in receipt of carers allowance, or a main carer of an elderly or disabled person who is at increased risk of Covid-19
7. Over 60s
8. Over 55s
9. Over 50s

The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine. People are being called forward who meet the criteria based on the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendations: COVID-19 Greenbook chapter 14a (publishing.service.gov.uk).

Eligibility

We are following the guidance issued by the JCVI (Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation) and vaccinating people in a priority order based on the JCVI’s determination of risk of serious illness or death from Covid-19.

You do not need to wait to be contacted before booking your vaccine appointment if any of the following apply:

• you are aged 50 or over
• you are at high risk from coronavirus (clinically extremely vulnerable)
• you are an eligible frontline health or social care worker
• you have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
• you have a learning disability
• you are a main carer for someone at high risk from coronavirus

If you are in any of these groups you can book your appointment at a larger vaccination centre or a pharmacy that provides COVID-19 vaccinations via the online coronavirus vaccination appointments facility now or call 119.

Alternatively, you can wait to be contacted by the NHS.

Phase 2 of the Covid-19 vaccination programme

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has considered the evidence for Phase 2 of the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

We are currently in Phase 1 of the Vaccination Programme, focusing on vaccinating those who are currently eligible for vaccination. Phase one see us working through the priority groups 1 to 9 and aims to finish in mid-April.

Phase 2 will include people aged 40 to 49 years who are at highest risk of hospitalisation, with the risk reducing the younger you are.

Prioritisation will therefore continue in the following order, once all at-risk groups in Phase 1 have been offered at least one dose of the vaccine:

• all those aged 40 to 49 years
• all those aged 30 to 39 years
• all those aged 18 to 29 years

The committee agreed that mass vaccination targeting occupational groups would be more complex to deliver and may slow down the vaccine programme, leaving some more vulnerable people at higher risk not being vaccinated for longer.

In the meantime, please do not contact the NHS to ask for a vaccination appointment.

You will be contacted when it is your turn.

You will be invited to attend a vaccination appointment There are three ways you might be contacted to get your vaccination.

1. Using local GP service. GP services are working together in your area to vaccinate as many people as possible. You may be contacted by a different surgery to the one you usually go to.
2. Local hospital service. You might be contacted to have the vaccination as an inpatient or outpatient
3. At a vaccination centre or local pharmacy service. If you live within 45 minutes of a vaccination centre or local pharmacy service, and haven’t already been vaccinated, you may have received a letter asking you to book an appointment online.

All vaccinations are by appointment only. People who are eligible for appointments will receive letters from the National Booking Service, telling you how to book an appointment or will be contacted by their local GP practice. The public are being asked not to contact their GP practice or local hospital to book a Covid-19 vaccination.

If you can’t travel to a vaccination centre, or there is another reason you can’t book an appointment at the nearest vaccination centre, you can choose to wait until your local GP services contact you if they haven’t already. If this is your preferred option – you don’t need to do anything now – wait for your GP service to make contact.

If you receive a letter and already have an appointment booked to have your vaccination at a local GP service please ignore the letter. There is nothing you need to do and please attend your appointment.

Vaccination started in the county in mid-December and a list of COVID-19 vaccination centres are detailed below, and are also available to view on NHS England’s website:

There are currently 17 approved vaccination sites across Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin providing significant capacity and accessibility for residents and staff.

8 vaccination centres and pharmacy services: (appointments via national booking system and local booking system):

• Vaccination centres:
• • Telford International Centre
  • Ludlow Racecourse
  • Shrewsbury Indoor Bowls Centre, Sundorne Road
  • Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt
• Pharmacy services:
  • The Park Lane Centre, Woodside delivered by Woodside Pharmacy, Telford
  • AFC Telford United, Wellington delivered by Wellington Pharmacy
  • Donnington Pharmacy
  • Day Lewis Pharmacy at Spring Lamb, Oswestry
• 7 Local Vaccination Services (appointments managed by GPs):
  • Bridgnorth Medical Centre being delivered by GPs from the South East Shropshire Primary Care Network (group of local GP practices)
  • Malinslee Healthcare Centre being delivered by GPs from the Teldoc Primary Care Network
  • Severn Fields Medical Practice delivered by GPs from the Shrewsbury Primary Care Network
  • Prees Medical Practice delivered by GPs from the North Shropshire Primary Care Network
  • Church Stretton Medical Practice delivered by from the GPs South West Shropshire Primary care Network
  • Audley Court (veterans’ mental health charity Combat Stress) delivered by GPs from the Newport and Central Primary Care Network
  • Wellington Medical Practice delivered by Wrekin from the Primary Care Network
• 2 Hospital Hubs (predominately for health and social care staff):
  • The Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (run in partnership with Shrewsbury Primary Care Network)
  • Princess Royal Hospital

Assisted Transport Arrangements

Click here for more information on free transport to help Shropshire residents get a vaccination.

Care Homes

100% of all older person care home residents and staff in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have been offered the first dose of the Covid-19 vaccination.

The older people vaccinated in care homes received their jabs under the care of the county’s GP practices.

In Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin you will be invited to attend an appointment at a GP surgery, a Vaccination Centre, or in some cases, a Hospital Hub.

All vaccinations are by appointment only. People who are eligible for appointments will receive letters from the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Booking Service, telling you how to book an appointment. You may also be contacted by your local GP practice. Please do not contact your GP practice or local hospital if you haven’t received an invite yet.

If you have been sent an invitation letter, please bring this with you as we will need your NHS number in order to update your record. Please note, some GP practices may not send a letter.

If you are a frontline worker, please bring your staff identification.

You are asked to attend your appointment alone unless you require a nominated carer for medical reasons. Please do not bring any other family members or friends as they will not be offered the vaccine or be able to wait in the centre.

Please be aware people who turn up at vaccination services without an appointment, who are not identified in the four top priority groups and do not have a letter or staff identification will be turned away.

Although we have measures in place to keep you and our staff safe, please wear a face covering when attending your appointment. It is also advisable to wear loose clothing as the vaccination is given in your upper arm.

The video below shows what happens at a typical vaccination appointment at Telford International Centre:

The video below shows what happens at a typical vaccination appointment at Shrewsbury Indoor Bowls Centre Vaccination Centre:

The video below shows what happens at a typical vaccination appointment at Ludlow Racecourse Vaccination Centre:

The video below shows what happens at a typical vaccination appointment at Robert Jones Agnus Hunt Vaccination Centre:

Watch the video below to hear from one of our Covid-19 vaccinators, Gemma. Gemma is a registered nurse and has taken time out of her normal role to help support Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin vaccination programme as a vaccinator.

Help us to help you:

• Please don’t contact your GP practice, the wider NHS or any of the community venues to seek a vaccine until it’s your turn;
• Please attend your booked appointments;
• Please do not arrive too early for your vaccination appointment to help us maintain social distancing;
• Please continue to follow all the rules to control the virus and save lives.

The vaccine

• The vaccine is given in two doses. If you have had your first jab, you will be contacted about getting your second. Appointments will be held 12 weeks apart, based on updated guidance from the UK’s Chief Medical Officers.
• The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19 infection, and it will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill. We do not yet know whether it will stop you from catching and passing on the virus. So, it is important to follow the guidance in your local area to protect those around you.

If you’ve had your first vaccine dose already, you may have had your 2^nd dose appointment booked, if not, the NHS will contact you when it’s time for your second dose.

It is important to remember that you must go back to the centre where you received your original vaccine.

Always take your ID and the card you were given when you received your first vaccine. This details which vaccine you received so that vaccinators can be sure you are receiving the correct second dose.

How will I be invited for the second dose of my vaccination?

The COVID-19 vaccination is given as two doses. You will have the second dose 11 to 12 weeks after having the first dose.

If you have had your first dose and have not yet been offered an appointment for your second dose, you will be contacted with an appointment for your second vaccination in due course. You will be contacted by the team you received your first dose of the vaccine from.

If you have chosen to be vaccinated in one of the vaccination centres, you will have booked both the first and second vaccinations at the same time when you book online.

When will I receive my second dose?

You will receive your second dose between 11 and 12 weeks after your first dose, in line with the national clinical guidance. You will be contacted about 11 weeks after you received their first dose to make an appointment. The organisations that gave you your first vaccination are responsible for ensuring you are contacted to receive your second dose.

Can I have my second dose in a different place?

We are currently asking patients to attend the same place for both their vaccination doses. If we can offer greater flexibility in future we will update our advice. Patients will be contacted by the vaccination centre that provided their first dose in order to arrange an appointment for their second dose. Except in exceptional circumstances, patients should not look to obtain their second vaccination from an alternative vaccination centre; patients are expected to obtain their second dose from the same vaccination centre where they received the first vaccination dose. Each vaccination site is being supplied with second dose vaccine numbers based on the number of patients vaccinated with the first dose.

In order to ensure vaccination centres do not run out of vaccine, all patients are asked to comply with this nationally agreed arrangement.

I am moving to a different part of the country or to a different country but have had my first dose. Can I bring my second dose appointment forward?

No. We are under a national directive to space doses out by 12 weeks. This cannot be changed for reasons related to travel.

Why has the timeframe between first and second doses of vaccinations been increased?

The UK Chief Medical Officers have agreed a longer timeframe between first and second doses so that more people can get their first dose quickly, and because the evidence shows that one dose still offers a high level of protection. This decision will allow us to get the maximum benefit for the most people in the shortest possible time and will help save lives.

Getting both doses remains important so we would urge people to return for their second dose when invited. 

How effective is the first vaccine injection without getting the second one? 

It is important to have both doses of the vaccine to give you the best protection. While the first dose acts as an important immune response primer, the second dose is needed to boost your body’s immune response to the COVID-19 virus providing the best protection for you.

It is also important to note that immunity is not instant once you have received your vaccination. It will take a period of time for your body to produce the antibodies needed to produce an effective immune response to fight future COVID-19 infection. Therefore it is important that even after you have had the COVID-19 vaccine you adhere to the current public health advice including social distancing and practicing good hand and respiratory hygiene.

What happens if a person has the first jab but not the second? 

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. 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 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.

If I had the Pfizer vaccine in the first jab, can I have the AstraZeneca vaccine for my second one?

Public Health England, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) have all been very clear that in the absence of trial data to show it is safe and effective, doses should not be mixed. If you have a first dose of one vaccine, your second dose will be of that same vaccine too and that is what NHS organisations have been instructed to do.

What happens if I don’t go for my second appointment?

The first dose of both COVID-19 vaccines will provide short term protection. It is important to get the second dose to provide fuller, longer term protection against COVID-19.

Updated: 22/03/2021

Overview

• You can have the COVID-19 vaccine if you’re breastfeeding.
• It is safe to receive the vaccine if you are thinking of getting pregnant.
• The vaccine does not affect fertility.
• Pregnant women in at risk groups may be offered the vaccination, they should speak to their GP or midwife. If you’re pregnant there’s no evidence the COVID-19 vaccine is unsafe. 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 getting coronavirus because of where you work
  • have a health condition that means you’re at high risk of serious complications of coronavirus

Frequently asked questions

Is the vaccine safe for pregnant women?

The COVID-19 vaccines available in the UK have been shown to be effective and to have a good safety profile. The early COVID-19 vaccines do not contain organisms that can multiply in the body, so they cannot infect an unborn baby in the womb. Pregnant women were not included in the COVID-19 vaccine trials but that does not mean they are unsafe.

While there are myths on social media that the vaccine can affect fertility, there is no scientific evidence to suggest that the vaccine affects fertility or the ability to carry a child to full term.

During the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine study, there were 23 study participants who became pregnant during their vaccine trial. There was one pregnancy loss, but this was in a participant who received the placebo, not the vaccine.

The antibodies produced against the Covid-19 spike protein following immunisation will not block syncitin-1 – the protein critical for the placenta to remain attached to the uterus. While the Covid-19 spike protein shares several amino acids in common with syncitin-1, it is significantly different enough for the antibodies to recognise and block this critical placental binding protein. It should be also acknowledged that this vaccine is not a ‘live’ vaccine and there is no known risk associated with giving other non-live vaccines.

While there is no evidence that acute Covid-19 infections themselves cause infertility in the short- or long-term, there has been evidence that the acute viral infection can lead to orchitis, or inflammation of the testicles. This would not be unique to SARS-CoV-2, as other viruses such as mumps, hepatitis, and Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) can cause acute inflammation, and later scarring, of the testicles.

Some pregnant women who have contracted Covid-19 have died and/or suffered fetal loss as a result of acute Covid-19 infections therefore pregnant women who are frontline health or social care workers, including carers in a residential home, can also discuss the option of vaccination. This is because the risk of exposure to COVID-19 may be higher, even if they have a lower risk of experiencing complications if they are otherwise well. The JCVI also now advises that there is no known risk in giving these vaccines to breastfeeding women.

I’m pregnant, will I be offered the COVID-19 vaccination?

Whilst there is no scientific evidence to suggest the vaccine would be harmful to pregnant women and their babies, the vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnancy. For this reason, vaccinations will not be offered to pregnant women routinely. This is case for most new medicines and vaccines and may change when more data about the COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy becomes available.

However, pregnant women in at risk groups and who are frontline health and care workers may be offered the vaccination, including;

• women with a very high risk of catching the infection; and
• those with a clinical condition putting them at high risk of severe complications

In these cases, women should discuss vaccination with their doctor or midwife to help them make their decision. They may decide that the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risks of catching the virus.

I am trying to get pregnant; can I get the COVID-19 vaccination?

Women who are trying to get pregnant can have the COVID-19 vaccination. There is no evidence that the vaccine affects fertility and those who are trying to become pregnant do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination.

What happens if I become pregnant after my first dose of the vaccination?

If you do become pregnant after your first dose of the vaccination you may want to delay getting the second dose until after your pregnancy unless you are high risk i.e.  you have a very high risk of catching the infection or have a clinical condition putting you at high risk of severe complications.

I am a pregnant healthcare worker and have been offered a COVID-19 vaccination, what should I do?

Pregnant women who are frontline health or social care workers, including carers in a residential home, can also discuss the option of vaccination. This is because the risk of exposure to COVID-19 may be higher, even if they have a lower risk of experiencing complications if they are otherwise well.

If you are eligible for and have been offered a COVID-19 vaccine, the decision whether to have the vaccination in pregnancy is your choice. If you are considering the COVID-19 vaccine, please read this information sheet to help you make an informed choice. The UK Teratology Information Service (UKTIS) have also prepared a monograph on non-live vaccination in pregnancy which you may find helpful to read.

The risks and benefits of vaccination will need to be assessed on an individualised basis. This may include factors such as your ethnicity, whether you are overweight or obese, any underlying health conditions you may have as well as occupational exposure and ability to socially distance at work.

Public health advice is that, until further data are available, those who are vaccinated should continue to observe all current guidance and transmission reduction measures, including social distancing and the wearing of personal protective equipment (PPE).

If you are a pregnant health or social care worker, having a vaccine will not change your occupational risk assessment. This includes not working in high-risk areas if you are 28 weeks pregnant and beyond, or if you have an underlying health condition that puts you at a greater risk of severe illness from COVID-19 at any gestation.

Should I have a COVID-19 vaccine if I plan to become pregnant?

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) published updated advice on 30 December 2020 to say that women who are trying to become pregnant do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination.

If you are in one of the groups offered the vaccine, getting vaccinated before pregnancy will help prevent COVID-19 infection and its serious consequences. In some cases, women will need to make a decision about whether to delay pregnancy until after the vaccine becomes available to them. There is no evidence to suggest these type of vaccines cause issues with fertility. As more evidence becomes available on the safety of each vaccine (from following up people for longer), we will update our advice.

I’m breastfeeding, can I get the COVID-19 vaccination?

Women who are breastfeeding can receive the vaccine.  Whilst there is no data on the safety of COVID-19 vaccines, in breastfeeding women and their babies, they are not thought to be a risk and the benefits of breast-feeding are well known.

Additional resources

Click here for more information for all women of childbearing age, those currently pregnant or breastfeeding on coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination from Public Health England. Information available in:

Click here for an EASY READ leaflet for all women of childbearing age, those currently pregnant or breastfeeding on coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination from Public Health England

Click here to read more from the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists

Click here if you are pregnant and have been offered the Covid-19 vaccination – this document aims to support women make a personal informed choice about whether to accept a COVID-19 vaccination in pregnancy, in discussion with a healthcare professional

Click here or see below to listen to Dr Gayatri Amirthalingam is a consultant in the National Immunisation team at Public Health England discuss Covid-19 vaccines and fertility

• Who can have it: first phase priority groups
• Why do I have to wait
• Covid-19 vaccination – a guide for older adults
• What to expect after your Covid-19 vaccination
• COVID-19 vaccination – a guide for those currently pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding
• A guide for healthcare workers
• A guide for social care workers

Accessible versions:

• COVID-19 vaccination easy read
• Translated versions of the patient information leaflets
• Coronavirus vaccines explained in Sylheti, Gujarati, Tamil, Urdu and Punjabi
• Information about vaccines: For people with a learning disability and autistic people
• Reasonable Adjustments When Having the Vaccine

Local videos about staying safe and the vaccine

There are a number of local videos with healthcare staff and communities. These include talking head and Q&A videos in English, Urdu, Polish, Romanian, Malayalam, Punjabi, Gujarati, Hindi, Czech/Slovak and Chinese.

The videos are available on the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Sustainability Transformation Partnership YouTube channel and on Telford & Wrekin Council’s website.

NHS doctors, nurses and other frontline staff have recorded messages in Arabic, Bengali, Gujarati, Polish, Punjabi, Romanian, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu and Yoruba. These are available on the NHS Website. You can also access the script in English.

Others available: British Asian doctors explain the importance of vaccines for fighting coronavirus in five South Asian languages: Sylheti, Gujarati, Tamil, Urdu and Punjabi. For more information in English, check out this explainer.

British Sign Language materials

• COVID-19 vaccination: a guide for older adults – BSL video
• COVID-19 vaccination: what to expect after vaccination in BSL
• COVID-19 vaccination: women of childbearing age, currently pregnant, planning a pregnancy or breastfeeding BSL video

For more information about the vaccine, the Government has provided thorough descriptions of each vaccine and how they work:

• Information for UK recipients on Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
• Information for UK recipients on Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine
• About the COVID-19 Vaccine rollout in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin: Videos in different languages

You can also visit www.nhs.uk/CovidVaccine.

17 March 2021: NHS England invites everyone aged 50 and over to be jabbed as NHS vaccination programme marks 100th day

14 March 2021: NHS text drive to invite millions at risk for lifesaving Covid jab

09 March 2021: NHS Text Alerts for Life-Saving COVID Jab

08 March 2021: Hundreds of people step up to join vaccination service in Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin

07 March 2021: NHS Invites People Aged 56 To 59 For Their Covid Jab

28 February 2021: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has considered the evidence for Phase 2 of the UK’s COVID-19 vaccination programme

25 February 2021: More Local People in Their 60s to Receive Their Vaccines

23 February 2021: Unpaid Carers to Receive their Vaccinations

16 February 2021: More people to be offered the vaccine as local NHS hits it’s targets

14 February 2021: NHS offers COVID jab to clinically vulnerable and people 65 to 69

09 February 2021: Thank you for your support!

08 February 2021: Call for people aged 70 and over to contact NHS for a COVID jab

08 February 2021: Thank you to everyone working tirelessly on COVID-19 vaccine roll out in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

04 February 2021: New COVID-19 Vaccination Centre Opens in Shrewsbury

02 February 2021: Residents in all Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin older people’s care homes get first Covid-19 vaccine

02 February 2021: Three more COVID-19 Vaccination Centres to open in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

31 January 2021: Local BAME communities urged to take up vaccine offer

28 January 2021: Six further vaccination services go live in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin

14 January 2021: Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin Pharmacy First to Deliver COVID Jabs

11 January 2021: Large NHS vaccination centres rolled out and more on their way

07 January 2021: New covid vaccination hospital hub opens at RJAH

05 January 2021: Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Covid-19 vaccine rollout: Please wait to be contacted

30 December 2020: First care home residents in Telford and Wrekin get Covid-19 vaccination

22 December 2020: Be a part of history and help in the battle to beat covid

17 December 20201: Shropshire patients get the Covid-19 vaccination closer to home

12 December 2020: Rollout of Covid-19 vaccination gets underway

Read the latest Frequently Asked Questions.

COVID-19 Vaccination data is now released daily, weekly and monthly on the NHS England website.

For helpful information for people with a learning disability click here.