A third dose is being offered to up to 500,000 people in the UK whose immune systems do not work properly or who are taking immune suppressant medication – including people who have had a heart transplant or are on certain types of steroid medication. The NHS is contacting people who are eligible for a third dose of the vaccine to arrange an appointment as soon as possible, if they haven’t already had their third dose.

The JCVI have said that this recommendation is an update to the standard dosing schedule for people in this at-risk group, and that they will also be offered a booster vaccine, at a later date.

The recommendation follows early findings from research carried out by the University of Glasgow, showing that 40% of people who are immunosuppressed or immunocompromised do not have a strong enough immune response after two doses of the vaccine.

Read the official government advice for people who are eligible for a third dose

The Pfizer, Moderna and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines have all been approved for use as booster jabs by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA. The Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine has only been approved as a booster for use in people who had it as their first and second vaccine.

More research is currently under way to look at other options for use as Covid-19 booster vaccines.

This year it’s extra important to get your flu jab if you’re offered one. There are concerns that flu levels could be very high this winter. Thanks to social distancing and other measures taken to stop the spread of Covid-19, flu levels were extremely low last winter. As a result, it’s expected people will have a lower level of immunity against the flu this winter. Precautions such as washing your hands can limit the spread of many infectious diseases, including flu.

1. A vaccination card specifying which vaccine you had and the batch number with the date.
2. Detailed information about the vaccine plus more about the vaccination process in general.

considered this issue 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.

When it is time to move onto the next cohort, we will be told by the government and they will arrange for us to get a vaccine delivery. Once this happens, we will contact you. The government ambition is to offer vaccines to everyone in the first five groups (13 million people) by the middle of February.

Recommendations on which groups get the vaccine are made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunology – an independent group of scientists.

The Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford vaccines both need to be given in two doses. In both cases, it is our intention to give you your second appointment in exactly 12 weeks from your first vaccination at both the same time and the same place as before. You will still have a good level of protection after the first dose, but the second dose is more important for longer-lasting protection. This means it’s really important to go back for your second dose when we book you in.

To protect yourself and your family, friends and colleagues you still need to:

• practice social distancing
• wear a face mask
• wash your hands carefully and frequently
• follow the current guidance

If you develop symptoms or have been in contact with someone who has, you will still need to self-isolate.

As a result of the numbers involved, further prioritisation within this group had to be made to ensure a safe, effective and fair approach to staff vaccination as possible. The aim is that every member of this valued frontline workforce will be vaccinated as quickly as possible.

Initially, the first group invited to book their appointments will be:

• Frontline staff whose role involves either providing direct personal care, or having direct contact with people receiving care, AND:
• Who are in the high risk category in relation to COVID-19 due to their personal characteristics e.g. medical history, OR
• Who are providing care to people who are clinically extremely vulnerable or are in a high risk category for COVID-19

Once these staff have been vaccinated, vaccination appointments will be offered to any remaining frontline staff whose role involves either providing direct personal care or having direct contact with people receiving care.

There are various places that staff can be vaccinated, including the vaccination centre at Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol and several hospital sites across BNSSG.

Please wait to be contacted. We will let you know when it’s your turn to have the vaccine so you don’t need to contact us. Don’t worry, you won’t be forgotten.

You can find out more information about protection for healthcare workers here.