Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccine – Update 12th January 2021

Following extensive trials, 2 safe and effective vaccines for COVID-19 have been approved by regulators and are now being made available to us and are being supplied to us in small batches and the amounts of each vaccine being delivered varies.  The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has said that both the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine ‘give very high protection against severe disease’ and both have good safety records. Both vaccines are being used across the country and the county.

The vaccines currently are being delivered at Tilehurst Village Surgery for all Westwood Road Health Centre, Grovelands Medical Centre and Tilehurst Village Surgery patients. The vaccines cannot be moved from the designated site and this will mean patients will need to travel if possible to the designated site  to receive this vaccine. This is a government instruction and beyond the control of the surgeries. We are awaiting further information from NHS England for our housebound patients.

The NHS continues to prioritise those that the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) and the government has decided who will benefit the most and they are specifically the over-80s, care home residents and all frontline health and care staff.

We are inviting people for vaccination in order of the priorities set out by the JCVI, starting with over 80s and inviting our very oldest patients first in age order, alongside our care home residents.

Please do not contact us about the COVID-19 vaccination unless we have already contacted you. When we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments .

Everyone at the practice is working extremely hard to make sure people receive their COVID-19 vaccine as quickly as possible. Please be patient with us during this time – we are working hard to vaccinate as quickly as possible using the supplies that we receive.

On days where GPs, nurses and other staff are supporting the roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccination programme, some routine appointments may have to be rescheduled to an alternative day.