
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Questions
Below are a series of Frequently Asked Questions to help you in making an informed decision about the Coronavirus vaccine.
Visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Updates page to find out the latest news and updates about the Vaccination Programme in Surrey Heartlands.
Please note your COVID-19 Vaccination does not protect you against flu, for information regarding your flu vaccination visit our Flu Vaccination webpage.
Please find details of pop-up and walk-in vaccination clinics on our vaccination centres webpage.
Vaccinations for 12 to 15 year-olds
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Vaccination will be carried out by school-aged immunisation service (SAIS) providers, a group of provider organisations such as NHS community trusts who are contracted in local systems to provide routine immunisation services such as flu.
Vaccination safety
- Yes. The NHS will not offer any COVID-19 vaccinations to the public until experts have confirmed they are safe.
The MHRA, the official UK regulator, has said that the vaccines currently provided – Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneka - and the newly approved vaccine – Moderna - are very 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 they have been authorised and are being administered to the public.
Fertility, pregnancy, and the vaccines
The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines available in the UK have been shown to be effective and to have a good safety profile.
These vaccines do not contain live coronavirus and cannot infect a pregnant woman or her unborn baby in the womb
There is no need to avoid getting pregnant after COVID-19 vaccination. There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines have any effect on fertility or your chances of becoming pregnant.
There's no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine has any effect on your chances of becoming pregnant. They do not affect fertility and there's no need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination.
If you're pregnant, you will be offered a 1st, 2nd or booster COVID-19 vaccine when you're eligible.
If you're pregnant, you will be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine. They have been more widely used during pregnancy in other countries and have not caused any safety issues. You will not be offered the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
You can have any of the COVID-19 vaccines if you're breastfeeding. If you are 39 years or younger, you will be offered the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine as with all patients in this age group.
The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19.
- Read the latest COVID-19 vaccine advice if you’re pregnant, may get pregnant or are breastfeeding on GOV.UK
- Access guides in different languages and formats - for all women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding
Existing health conditions and the vaccines
Vaccines are the best way to protect people from COVID-19 and have already saved thousands of lives. Everyone should continue to get their vaccination when asked to do so unless specifically advised otherwise.
- The flu vaccine does not protect you from Covid-19. Please take up your Covid-19 vaccines as soon as you are offered them.
The vaccines and suitability
- No, the approved COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any animal products or egg. The COVID-19 vaccine ingredients are available on the GOV.UK website.
How effective are the vaccines?
Three COVID-19 vaccines, Pfizer/BioNTech, COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca and COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna, are currently being used in the UK. All have been authorised for supply by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) following a thorough review of safety, quality and efficacy information from clinical trials.
In clinical trials, the vaccines showed very high levels of protection against symptomatic infections with COVID-19.
Data is now available on the impact of the vaccination campaign in reducing infections and illness in the UK.
If you are healthy, the 1st dose of an approved COVID-19 vaccine should give you some protection from coronavirus. But you need to have two doses plus a booster vaccine to give you longer lasting and better protection.
If you are immunosuppressed you are eligible for three doses plus a booster, which will give you the best protection against COVID-19.
There is a chance you might still get or spread coronavirus even if you have been vaccinated but the chance of serious illness is lowered. This means it is important to continue to follow current guidance around COVID-19.
Booking your vaccination appointment
Vaccination services are running in a number of community locations.
You can find out more, including details of locations and availability of walk-in vaccination clinics with no appointments required on our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Centres webpage.
- You will be given instructions on which vaccination site to attend when you book your appointment. This is the case whether you book directly on line via the online coronavirus vaccination appointments facility or wait to be contacted by the NHS by letter, text or email.
- We have a number of sites across Surrey Heartlands. You can find more details about these sites on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Centres page.
Help with your vaccination appointment
- If you need help with transport to attend your appointments, you can access community transport. More information is on the Surrey Information Point website.
Attending your vaccination appointment
The vaccine will be given as an injection in the upper arm. It'll only take a few minutes to get the coronavirus vaccine.
Do not attend your vaccine appointment if you feel unwell with symptoms of coronavirus.
- You'll need to bring:
o A face covering, unless you cannot wear one for an age, health or disability reason.
o Your booking reference number.
o If you are a health or social care worker, eligible because of your workplace, you will need to bring proof of your work identity such as a work ID card, wage slip or official letter from your employer.
After your vaccination appointment
- You get the vast majority of your protection from two weeks after your latest dose.
- It is extremely important that you take up the offer of your latest vaccine as soon as you are invited.
Vaccination locations
Visit the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccination Centres page to find out where services are located in Surrey Heartlands.
There are different types of sites operating in Surrey Heartlands:
- Mass Vaccination Sites and Community Pharmacies, which are sites coordinated by NHS England.
- GP-led Local Vaccination Sites.
- GP-Led Pop-up Vaccination Sites.