What vaccine for COVID-19 is currently available?

Both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are now available.

Both vaccines have been shown to be safe and offer high levels of protection, and have been given regulatory approval by the MHRA.

Is the NHS confident the vaccines are safe?

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 that both of these vaccines have good safety profiles and offer a high level of protection, 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 continues monitoring once it has been authorised and is being used in the wider population.

The MHRA recommend that those with sever allergies to the ingredients of the vaccines should not receive them.

Are there any side effects?

These are important details which the MHRA always consider when assessing candidate vaccines for use.

For these vaccines, like lots of others, they have indentified 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 occur, including reporting them to the MHRA.

More information on possible side effects can be found here.

How effective are the vaccines? How long do they take to work?

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 vaccines should be scheduled up to 12 weeks apart.

Full protection kick in around a week or two after that seconds 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.

How were the vaccines developed so quickly?

Medicines, including vaccines, are highly regulated - and this is no different for the approved COVID-19 vaccines. There are a number of enabler 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 pate packages as soon as they were available so experts at the MHRA 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

When will you publish the vaccine ingredients?

A detailed review of the vaccines and their ingredients have been provided by the MHRA and can be found at the following links.

For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine information, please click here.

For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine information, please click here.

Should people who have already had COVID-19 get vaccinated?

Yes, if they are in a priority group identified by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (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.

Even if you've already had COVID-19, you could still get it again and the COVID-19 vaccine is your best protection against it.

If you've recently tested positive for COVID-19 - even if you have no symptoms - you should wait until 28 days after the date you were tested before getting the vaccine.

Who is getting vaccinated?

The JCVI published its final advice on 2 December 2020 which can be found here.

Vaccinations in England started on 8 December 2020, with Margaret Keenan becoming the first person to be vaccinated at University Hospital, Coventry.

Across the country, care home staff, those ages over 80 years of age and over, as well as NHS staff considered to be at risk will be offered vaccination in line with JCVI recommendations.

Can any member of the public be vaccinated? Can I just walk in to a service?

No, people will be offered vaccinations in line with recommendations from the independent JCVI.

The NHS will contact people when it is their turn. People will need an appointment to get their vaccine; most people will be invited by letter from their GP practice or the national programme.

The British Islamic Medical Association have produced a helpful guide for the Muslim community which can be found here.

What are the different ways members of the public might be contacted to get their vaccination?

1. Local hospital services - you might be contacted either to have the vaccine as an inpatient or at an outpatient appointment.
2. Local GP services - practices in your area are working together to contact and offer the vaccine to as many people as possible. This may be at a different surgery than you usually go to, or at a venue we have set up specially to deliver vaccines.
3. Through your care home - GPs and their teams are also arranging to vaccinate care home residents directly in their homes.
4. A letter from the NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Booking Service to book online or by phone. Booking through this service will give you the option of having the vaccine at a special vaccination centre, or potentially a community pharmacy depending on whether these are available locally.

I've already had my first jab, how do I get my second?

If you have had your first jab already through a hospital or GP services, the local NHS will contact you in the course of the next few weeks about getting your second.

If you have received a letter from the national booking service and you have already had your first dose of the vaccination, please ignore the letter. The national booking service will require you to book appointments for both doses of the vaccination at the same time, so if you have already had your first dose this service does not apply.

I've contacted the national booking service but I can't travel to one of the locations that are available, what should I do?

More locations will become available in the coming weeks, so you could try again later.

Alternatively, you can choose to wait until your local GP service invites you for the vaccine.

If you are housebound and unable to leave the house to travel to any appointment, and cannot arrange for someone to help you, your local NHS services will be in contact with you.

How long will my vaccine be effective for?

We expect these vaccines to work for at least a year - if not longer. This will be constantly monitored.