If you have any other questions after reading this information, please speak to your GP.
About the COVID-19 vaccine COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca FAQS Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine FAQs Who can have the vaccine? My COVID-19 vaccine appointments What to expect after having your vaccine
We are able to offer staff the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine at the Royal Papworth COVID-19 Vaccine Hub.
We do not know at this stage whether other vaccines will be sent to us to administer as they are approved and enter into circulation. You should therefore weigh up the benefits of receiving protection at the earliest opportunity against waiting for your preferred vaccine to become available.
Any vaccines that the NHS will provide will have been approved because they pass the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA)’s tests on safety and efficacy, so people should be assured that whatever vaccine they get, it is worth their while.
If you’re a frontline worker in the NHS, you are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 at work. 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.
Yes. The NHS will not offer any Covid-19 vaccinations to the public until independent experts have signed off that it is safe to do so. The MHRA, the official UK regulator, have said these vaccines are 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.
The MHRA recommend that those with severe allergies to the ingredients of the vaccines should not receive them.
The important point for any vaccine is whether the MHRA approves 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.
Medicines, including vaccines, are highly regulated – and that is no different for the approved COVID-19 vaccine. 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;
You are required to have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, up to 12 weeks apart. You will get a good level of protection from the first dose but will not get maximum protection until at least 7-14 days after your second dose of vaccine.
Following a review of clinical evidence and latest public health data, the JCVI and the UK Chief Medical Officers have recently updated guidance for the NHS on the second dose for both vaccines, meaning they can be safely offered up to 12 weeks apart.
The four UK 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’ and ‘will have the greatest impact on reducing mortality, severe disease and hospitalisations and in protecting the NHS and equivalent health services’.
Patients still need to receive their second vaccine, and it is important that they attend their second appointment once scheduled. The second dose should be booked at the same centre or hub that delivered the first dose.
The MHRA have said these vaccines are highly effective, but to get full protection people need to come back for the second dose – this is really important.
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 the vaccine should be scheduled up to 12 weeks apart.
Full protection kicks in around a week or two after that second dose, which is why it’s also important that when you do get invited, you act on that and get yourself booked in as soon as possible. Even those who have received a vaccine still need to follow social distancing and other guidance.
The MHRA have said these vaccines are highly effective, but to get full protection people need to come back for the second dose – this is really important. 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 OxfordAstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine should be scheduled up to 12 weeks apart.
Full protection kicks in around a week or two after that second dose, which is why it’s also important that when you do get invited, you act on that and get yourself booked in as soon as possible. Even those who have received a vaccine still need to follow social distancing and other guidance.
We expect these vaccines to work for at least a year – if not longer. This will be constantly monitored.
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 AstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine should be scheduled up to 12 weeks apart. The second dose should be booked at the same centre or hub that delivered the first dose.
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 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 after two weeks – 89% for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine and 74% for the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. 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 it at the right time. The second dose should be booked at the same centre or hub that delivered the first dose.
There is no evidence currently that the new strain will be resistant to the vaccines we have, so we are continuing to vaccinate people as normal. Viruses, such as the winter flu virus, often branch into different strains but these small variations rarely render vaccines ineffective.
Yes, please continue to test even when you've had the vaccine.
You can read the patient information leaflet for the COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccine online.
The MHRA can confirm that the COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca does not contain any components of animal origin.
A full list of ingredients for the qualitative and quantitative composition of the vaccine can be found at point 2 in the Information for Healthcare Professionals of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca.
COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca stimulates the body’s natural defences (immune system) and causes the body to produce its own protection (antibodies) against the virus. None of the ingredients in this vaccine can cause COVID-19.
The pharmaceutical form of this medicine is a solution for injection and the route of administration is intramuscular injection. COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca will be given to you by an authorised practitioner as an intramuscular injection into the muscle at the top of the upper arm (deltoid muscle).
You will receive 2 injections of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca, each of 0.5ml. You will be told when you need to return for your second injection of COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca. The second injection can be given between 4 and 12 weeks after the first injection.
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 the vaccines are published online.
Please read the patient leaflet for the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. This covers:
The vaccine works by making a protein from the virus that is important for creating protection. The protein works in the same way they do for other vaccines by stimulating the immune system to make antibodies and cells to fight the infection
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 the vaccines are published online. For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, information is available here.
There is no material of foetal or animal origin in the vaccine. All ingredients are published in healthcare information on the MHRA’s website. For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, information is available here.
The British Islamic Medical Association have produced a helpful guide for the Muslim community which can be found at https://britishima.org/pfizer-biontech-covid19-vaccine/
There is no evidence to suggest that individual genetic material will undergo an alteration after receiving the vaccine.
The JCVI have put patient-facing health and social care staff into a priority group because of their heightened risk of exposure to the virus.
We have been able to secure approval from the region to establish our own vaccination hub here at Royal Papworth Hospital which will allow us to vaccinate staff. We will also be able to vaccinate OCS and Skanska staff, as well as other local NHS staff.
People with history of a severe allergy to the ingredients of the vaccines should not be vaccinated. The MHRA have updated their guidance to say that pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding can have the vaccine but should discuss it with a clinician to ensure that the benefits outweigh any potential risks.
People with history of a severe allergy to the ingredients of the vaccines should not be vaccinated. Please discuss this with your GP if you are unsure whether you should have the vaccine.
There may be a very small number of people with very complex or severe immunological problems who can’t make any response at all – but the vaccine should not do any harm to these individuals. Individuals meeting these criteria may want to discuss the vaccine further with their specialist doctor.
If you have any queries about whether you can have the vaccine, please discuss this with your GP or call the pharmacy helpline on ext. 638777.
Yes, if they are in a priority group identified by JCVI. The MHRA have looked at this and decided that getting vaccinated is just as important for those who have already had Covid-19 as it is for those who haven’t, including those who have mild residual symptoms. Where people are suffering significant ongoing complications from Covid they should discuss whether or not to have a vaccine now with a clinician.
People currently unwell and experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not receive COVID-19 vaccine until they have recovered.
These decisions are for the JCVI. Their current prioritisation plan does not include household members of NHS staff or clinically vulnerable people automatically – although in some cases family members may be eligible in their own right.
Although the vaccine was not tested on those with very serious immunological conditions, the vaccine has been proven to be very effective and it is unlikely that the vaccine will have no effect at all on these individuals. There may be a very small number of people with very complex or severe immunological problems who can’t make any response at all – but the vaccine should not do any harm to these individuals. Individuals meeting these criteria may want to discuss the vaccine further with their specialist doctor.
Please read the national guidance for women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding. This covers:
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: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccine-for-covid-19
For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca
These vaccines are safe and effective for the vast majority of people – they have been tested on tens of thousands of people and assessed by experts.
Any person with a history of immediate-onset anaphylaxis to the ingredients contained in the vaccines should not receive them. A second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine should not be given to those who have experienced anaphylaxis to the first dose of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccination. Everybody will also be screened for potential allergic reactions before getting vaccinated. All vaccinators will have the training they need to deal with any rare cases of adverse reactions, and all venues will be equipped to care for people who need it – just like with any other vaccine.
The original MHRA advice was that anybody with a known allergy to specific ingredients in the vaccine should not be vaccinated. This was temporarily widened but the guidance has now reverted to this.
Checking for allergies is a routine part of the process before giving any vaccine or new medicine. Having these conversations – as well as being able to deal with allergic reactions in the rare case they do happen, is a central part of training for vaccinators. But these are new vaccines and so the NHS and the MHRA are being extra vigilant and responding quickly to ensure everyone across the NHS is totally clear on these requirements.
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 Public Assessment Reports contain all the scientific information about the trials and information on trial participants. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccine-astrazeneca/summary-of-the-public-assessment-report-for-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine
There is no evidence either of the vaccines will work differently in different ethnic groups.
There is clear evidence that certain Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups have higher rates of infection, and higher rates of serious disease and mortality. The reasons are multiple and complex. 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. What is clear is that 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.
Prioritisation of people with underlying health conditions will also provide for greater vaccination of BAME communities who are disproportionately affected by such health conditions. Tailored local implementation to promote good vaccine coverage in Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups will be the most important factor within a vaccine programme in reducing health inequalities in these groups.
The NHS will provide advice and information at every possible opportunity, including working closely with BAME communities, to support those receiving a vaccine and to anyone who has questions about the vaccination process. Throughout the pandemic increasing attention has been given to reducing health inequalities and we have invested more than £4 million into research into Covid-19 and ethnic disparities so that we can go further.
You don’t need to have had the flu vaccine in order to have the COVID-19 vaccine, but if you do then you need to leave at least seven days between having the flu and COVID-19 vaccines.
There are no plans for a COVID-19 vaccine to be compulsory. Just as they do with the winter flu vaccine, local NHS employers will be working hard to ensure 100% of eligible 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.
If you have recently arrived from overseas but have not registered with a GP yet, you must make sure to do so as soon as possible. However, if you want to have the vaccine but are concerned that you do not have a NHS number yet, please email janet.way1@nhs.net. We would like to clarify that this is only an option for people who do not have a NHS number, not those who have forgotten theirs
If you have already booked an appointment for the CUH vaccine clinic we recommend you keep it. Any other staff members who want to book an appointment at CUH are now welcome to do so using the links below:
COVID-19 vaccination at CUH booking link: https://www.cuhstaffportal.co.uk/vaccine/
You will need your NHS number when booking appointments – you should be able to find this on any letter or
document you have received from the NHS, including prescriptions, test results, and hospital referral or appointment letters. If you cannot find your NHS Number at home, you can ask your GP practice to help you. Please bring your staff ID when attending vaccination appointments.
We wil release a booking form for our own vaccination hub at Royal Papworth Hospital shortly.
You can access the vaccine in work time, but try to book for the end/beginning of your shift and discuss with your line manager as well so that they can ensure the team is accessing the vaccine over different days and not all at the same time – this will help us reduce the impact on the service. Please allow around 30 minutes for your appointment.
Social distancing will be observed, personal protective equipment (PPE) will be worn and all infection prevention and control procedures will be followed by both recipients and vaccinators to ensure your safety.
Cancellations must be made 24 hours before your appointment via our booking system. Failure to notify us that you will not be attending may affect your opportunity to rebook.
On the day please telephone 07341 800425.
Please read the national guidance on what to expect after your COVID-19 vaccination. This covers:
These are important details which the MHRA always consider when assessing candidate vaccines for use.
For these vaccines, like lots of others, they have identified that some people might feel slightly unwell, but they report that no significant side effects have been observed in the tens of thousands of people involved in trials.
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.
More information on possible side effects can be found at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/
Yes, you should be able to work as long as you feel well. If your arm is particularly sore, you may find heavy lifting difficult. If you feel unwell or very tired you should rest and avoid operating machinery or driving.
There are certain side effects that are commonly observed (see above) but if you are at all unsure please contact the occupational health team.
The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19 infection, and two doses will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill. No vaccine is completely effective and it will take a few weeks for your body to build up protection.
So, you will still need to follow the guidance in your workplace, including wearing the correct personal protection equipment and taking part in any screening programmes.
To continue to protect yourself, your patients, your family, friends and colleagues you should follow the general advice at work, at home and when you are out and about: