COVID-19 Booster and Flu Vaccination Programme
With two viruses in circulation this year, it is more important than ever for those who are eligible to have the COVID-19 booster and the flu vaccines this winter.
The COVID-19 booster programme is now taking place across South West London. The COVID-19 booster is an additional vaccine dose for those who have previously received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine. It is for people who are the most likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19, to give them the best possible protection.
It’s important to know that those people who need the booster will be contacted by the NHS when it is their turn. Booster vaccines can only be offered to people who have at least a six month gap from their second vaccination. When ready, you will be invited to get your booster by your GP and/or be contacted by the NHS to book through the national COVID-19 vaccination booking service.
The flu vaccination programme is also up and running and helps protect from serious complications from getting flu. We would encourage people who are eligible for a COVID-19 booster to also get their flu vaccination.
You can find out more information about eligibility and availability here: https://swlondonccg.nhs.uk/news/boost-your-immunity-this-winter/. We would appreciate your support in sharing this information with your networks.
COVID-19 Vaccine Programme
All children aged 12 to 15 are now being offered one dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine through their schools. The roll-out, with support from school nurses, GPs and pharmacists, is being carried out in the same way as children receive other routine vaccinations at school. This aims to protect young people from COVID-19, reduce outbreaks that occur in school and protect friends and family against the virus.
We want to assure anyone who is eligible, from all age cohorts, but has not yet taken up the offer of a Covid-19 vaccine that it’s not too late. We continue to have thousands of vaccination bookable and walk in appointments each day across our boroughs at our community vaccination sites, hospital hubs, GP-led vaccination centres, and numerous community pharmacies.
We would encourage anyone who still has questions about the Covid-19 vaccine to come and talk to our friendly teams so they can make the best decision for them. You can find our latest list of FAQs on our website.
For those aged 16 and over, you can find the latest walk-in vaccination clinics on our website here.
Engagement Work Taking Place in Wandsworth
To date, we have worked with community groups to deliver 73 online and community based COVID-19 vaccine information sessions with over 2,700 attendees from diverse communities in Wandsworth.
We are working with local community based organisations, through our NHS Wandsworth Community Grants Programme - South West London CCG (swlondonccg.nhs.uk) and targeted COVID Outreach Fund, to reach communities with the latest information on the vaccination programme and to support people to protect their health. Our Patient and Public Involvement Reference Group and Thinking Partners have also been sharing facts about the vaccines in multiple formats including easy read and in other languages.
Recently we have been working with Wandsworth Summer Unlocked for 18-25 year olds, linking in with A2nd Voice who are running community activities for young Autistic people from Black British and Black African communities.
We are looking forward to upcoming sessions with Battersea Zoomers as part of their Autumn Health and Wellbeing Programme, and with Wandsworth Carers.
Please do get in contact if you would like to discuss community engagement in Wandsworth by emailing Tracy.walcott@swlondon.nhs.uk
Support us with our Insight Work
We want to hear from individuals based in South West London aged 50-64 and parents of 2 and 3-year-olds. With two viruses circulating this winter, we want to ensure that everyone has the best information about the flu vaccine and COVID-19 booster vaccine. We're asking individuals to fill in our short survey and tell us what they think for the chance to win a £100 voucher. Please circulate with your networks who might be able to help us reach these specific groups. The survey link is as follows https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/flu21LIVE and promotional assets attached.
Questions and Answers of the Week
Why are 12-15-year-olds being asked to have the COVID-19 vaccine?
When enough people get vaccinated, it’s harder for a disease to spread to those who can’t have vaccines. Getting vaccinated protects not only you but also your family, friends, and community and it’s much safer for your immune system to learn to fight illnesses through vaccination than by catching and treating them.
How does the consent process work for 12 to 15-year-olds?
All parents or those with parental responsibility are asked for consent and will usually make this decision, jointly with their children. The information leaflet addressed to the child (as the recipient of the vaccine) encourages them to discuss the decision about the vaccine with their parents. Consent forms will be sent out electronically to parents and guardians ahead of school visits, who will be asked to return them back to the vaccination team. We ask and encourage conversations at home so parents and guardians talk about the vaccination with their children, and we will be happy to answer any questions they may have.
In secondary schools, some older children may be sufficiently mature to provide their own consent. This sometimes occurs if a parent has not returned a consent form on the day of the session. Our vaccination team will contact the parent or guardian to seek their verbal consent and without parental consent we will not vaccinate the child that day. We will have conversations with children and their parents or guardians to answer any questions or concerns they may have as we fully appreciate the importance of this. This is a well-established process which is used in other school-based vaccination programmes.
Can you get the flu vaccination and COVID-19 booster vaccination together?
Most people who can get a COVID-19 booster vaccine are also eligible for the annual flu vaccine. If you are offered both vaccines, it's safe to have them at the same time. Co-administration will be considered if the patient is eligible for both programmes and supply and regulation allows.
Who is eligible for the booster?
Booster vaccine doses will be available on the NHS for people most at risk from COVID-19 who have already had 2 doses of a vaccine. This includes:
- people aged 50 and over
- people who live and work in care homes
- frontline health and social care workers
- people aged 16 and over with a health condition that puts them at high risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19
- carers aged 16 and over
- people aged 16 and over who live with someone who is more likely to get infections (such as someone who has HIV, has had a transplant or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis)
- People who are pregnant and in 1 of the eligible groups can also get a booster dose