The NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme has started in Coventry and Warwickshire, and University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust has been appointed as one of the hospital hubs.
The coronavirus vaccines approved for use in the UK have met strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness set out by the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The vaccine is typically delivered by a simple injection in the upper arm. Two doses of the vaccine are required, three weeks apart, to achieve maximum protection against coronavirus.
People still need to follow the advice on 'hands, face, space' and adhere to the other guidelines in place to prevent the spread of infection.
Please wait to be contacted.
You have an important part to play to help us deliver the vaccination programme effectively.
For more information on this, please click here.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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;
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
We expect these vaccines to work for at least a year - if not longer. This will be constantly monitored.
For more information on FAQs, please visit the links below:
For more information about the vaccine, please visit the below links or download the patient information leaflets.
Back
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON BLOOD TESTING DUE TO COVID-19
Shielding Patients in very high risk for COVID Group
All people who have been identified as very high risk (requiring shielding) for COVID are in the process of being contacted by their clinician regarding their ongoing care. If you require a blood test whilst shielding as part of your care, appointment details including when and where your blood test will be carried out will be sent to you via a text message from SwiftQueue who manage our blood test bookings.
If you have regular blood tests and have been asked to have these, please ensure you have blood forms at home available; if you haven’t please contact your specialty to have some sent to you in advance of your blood tests.
Older People and Vulnerable Adults
People who are in the groups identified by the government as higher risk e.g are over 70 or receive a yearly flu jab, but are not in the very high risk (requiring shielding) group, can attend our normal blood test clinics. The blood test clinics and waiting areas have been adapted so that social distancing can be maintained.
Please check the locations on the map below.
Click on the map for information about phlebotomy clinics in Coventry. You can book an appointment online at the locations in red.
Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test. Click on the ‘Book Online’ button above. Booking an appointment helps patients, their carers and family members to plan their hospital visit better, helping to reduce clinic waiting times and enabling patients to be seen much more quickly.
Location: Outpatients Department, on the ground floor. Opening hours: 8am-4.45pm, Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays).
Children under 16 years old will need to book online here.
Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test, click on the ‘Book Online’ button above. Patients from Rugby and the surrounding areas are able to access the Friends Blood Taking Unit at the Hospital of St Cross.
Referrals for blood tests can be from GP's, practice nurses or from hospital consultants. Patients are also able to leave other samples, such as urine, which have been collected at home, at the hospital's Pathology Reception.
Location: Near Brookfield House, just off North Road - map here. Opening hours: The blood taking clinic sessions for adults and children are listed below:
Monday -Friday 7am-4:45pm Appointment only
Wednesday Evening 5pm-7pm Suspended due to COVID
Saturday Morning 7am-10pm Suspended due to COVID
April 2020 NEW - This Clinic is now by appointment. Please book an appointment before attending for a blood test. Click on the ‘Book Online’ button above.
Address: Stoney Stanton Road, Coventry CV1 4FS Location: Access is via the main doors, the Phlebotomy team are in Area A. Opening hours: Monday to Friday (excluding bank holidays). 8am–4.45pm
Glucose Tolerance Test (GTT)
Specialist Tests - There are a small number of specialist tests where blood needs to be taken on a hospital site as the sample must be transferred to the laboratory rapidly for the test to be undertaken. Click here for a list of these specialist tests and to find out more.