Following announcements from the Department of Health and Social care on 30th August, Wallingford Medical Practice will be offering COVID vaccinations this September and October alongside our usual Flu campaign to our eligible patients.
Due to concerns about a new variant, the NHS has been asked to start vaccinating patients from 11th September, bringing the start date for the original programme forward by several weeks, at just 2 weeks notice.
Fortunately we had already planned to hold Flu vaccination clinics on Saturday 16th September and Saturday 14th October and we will therefore be able to offer COVID vaccinations at the same time as your Flu jab, for those patients who are eligible.
As a consequence, these clinics will be extremely busy and it would be helpful to us all if you could walk or lift share and be prepared to queue. Please arrive as close to your appointment time as possible rather than arriving early. We would also appreciate it if patients wear a short sleeved shirt, with an easy to remove jacket if it is chilly or raining, so that we can be as efficient as possible and avoid long waits to be seen.
You should receive a text message, email or phone call from the surgery if you are eligible for Influenza and COVID vaccinations. If you believe that you are eligible but have not yet heard, please do contact the surgery. Of note, those who live with someone who is immunosuppressed are eligible but our records will not necessarily pick up that you should be invited, so please contact the surgery and we can book you in.
Who is eligible?
| Flu | COVID |
| • Residents in care homes for older adults • Those aged 65 years and over those aged 6 months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups (as defined by the Green Book, chapter 19 (Influenza)) • Pregnant women • Carers in receipt of carer’s allowance, or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person • Close contacts of immunocompromised individuals • Frontline workers in a social care setting | • Residents in care homes for older adults • All adults aged 65 years and over • People aged 6 months to 64 years in a clinical risk group, as defined in tables 3 and 4 of the Covid-19 chapter of the UKHSA Green Book on Immunisation • Frontline health and social care workers. • People aged 12 to 64 years who are household contacts of people with immunosuppression, as defined in the UKHSA Green Book • People aged 16 to 64 years who are carers, as defined in the UKHSA Green Book • Staff working in care homes for older adults |
Primary school children (reception to Year 6) and Secondary school children (Years 7-11) will be offered their vaccination as part of the School Immunisation Programme.
Flu clinics will commence from Saturday 9th September for children aged 2-3 years old.