Coronavirus Vaccination Information FAQ - Age UK Somerset Coronavirus Support

Lots of questions have been raised about the Coronavirus vaccination procedure so we’ve pulled together some information from different sources that we hope you will find useful. Click on the + next to the questions below to see full information.

This information was accurate as at 12th January 2021 and may not be frequently updated here.

Please visit these websites to see the most up to date information:

Government website

Healthier Together (for North Somerset information)

NHS Website

North Somerset Council website (No information about vaccinations added currently, please check back)

Somerset County Council website

BBC website Coronavirus news page

Click here for the Age UK website which is also full of useful information

Screenshot image of Age UK website coronavirus vaccination page

You will need to be registered with a GP surgery in England. You can find out about registering with a GP here if you aren’t currently registered.

When you are invited to have the Covid 19 vaccination depends on whether you fall into one of the priority groups which are:

care home residents and their carers,
those aged 80 years of age and over
and frontline health and social care workers.

These groups will be vaccinated first. The hope is that these groups will receive their first vaccination by the middle of February.

The next groups to be invited to be vaccinated will be:

75-79 year olds, Invitations have started to go out in Somerset as at 18/01/2021
70-74 year olds,
clinically extremely vulnerable individuals,
65-69 year olds
16-64 year olds with serious underlying health conditions
60-64 year olds
55-59 year olds
50-54 year olds

The hope is to have all these groups vaccinated by the end of Spring.

From the Age UK website “This priority list provides a framework. However, that’s not to say everyone single resident in a care home will receive a vaccine before any health workers receive theirs, for example. Due to factors such as transport, storage and vaccines that may require low temperatures, it might be this order might vary a bit in practice.”

You will receive a letter asking you to make an appointment online or by phone. This is from the NHS website “When it’s your turn to have the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine, you’ll get a letter, phone call, email or text inviting you for an appointment.”

You should not contact the NHS directly asking for an appointment before you receive your letter as this will place a further burden on their already heavy workload.

“Some phone lines are jammed with people asking about vaccinations and this is preventing people who need help from getting through.”

According to the Somerset County Council website “Vaccinations are now being offered at 12 sites across the county – at ten GP-led community sites and at hospital hubs at both Musgrove Park Hospital and at Yeovil District Hospital – and teams of vaccinators are also vaccinating care home residents.”

Please visit their page on Coronavirus vaccinations for the most up to date information.

In North Somerset there seem to be sites in Weston Super Mare, Portishead, Langford and Tyntesfield – please visit the Heathier Together page for North Somerset and Bristol for more information.

If you have problems getting to your vaccination appointment please contact your GP for advice and assistance. Age UK Somerset is not able to not provide a travel service.

Please visit this page from the NHS which contains useful information:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/what-happens-at-your-appointment/

According to this article in the Guardian, the protection against Covid will be strongest 2 weeks after the 2nd vaccination. People should not assume they are safe the moment that they have been vaccinated and should still abide by the current rules, practice social distancing and wear a mask. There is some uncertainty to about whether those who have received the vaccination can still transmit the virus to other people even if it doesn’t make the person who had the vaccination ill.