Frequently asked questions

 

Which vaccine will I receive?

Regardless of the vaccine that you received for your 1st and 2nd vaccination you will receive Pfizer as your booster.

My GP or my hospital Consultant has explicitly said I cannot have the Pfizer vaccine.

There are a small number of reasons why a patient cannot have the Pfizer vaccine.  If this has been confirmed by your GP or Hospital consultant then please contact your GP Surgery to discuss.

The availability of the Astra Zeneca is limited at this time so patients may experience a delay.

I have had my 2nd dose over 6 months ago but I haven’t received a text message from Oaklands inviting me for my booster vaccination.

Section 1 outlines the eligible group that Oaklands are currently booking.  If you are within this group then you will receive an invite in the coming weeks.  If you are not in this grouping then you will receive an invite once this cohort is complete 

Patients may be eligible to book at a Mass Vaccination Centre, following the guidance within section 4.

I have had my 2nd dose over 6 months ago but have been unable to book via the National Booking System into a Mass Vaccination Centre.

The advice from NHS England is to try and book your appointment once you reach 6months, 1week and 1day after your 2nd vaccination.

Availability of appointments can be added to the system at short notice therefore patients are advised to keep trying to book an appointment at their local MVC (Folca).  An alternative will be to travel to another venue within East Kent.

Your GP surgery is unable to help with queries on booking using the National Booking System.

I have received a letter from the NHS to say I may be eligible for a 3rd Primary Dose of the covid vaccination.

Some patients take medications that supress the immune system.  Subsequently these individuals may require a 3rd Primary dose of the covid vaccination, followed by a booster (4 vaccinations in total).

NHS England recently sent out a letter to patients stating that they might be severely immunosuppressed.  It may be the case that this letter is based on historical information and no longer applicable however if you have ongoing treatment by a Hospital Consultant it is likely to be relevant.

As a guide the following medications can supress a patient’s immune system and may indicate that you should receive a 3rd primary dose and then a booster (4 vaccinations in total) -

  • Azathioprine
  • Mycophenolate mofetil
  • Monoclonal antibodies - of which there are many ending in "mab", such as bevacizumab, rituximab and trastuzumab.
  • Anti-TNF drugs such as etanercept, infliximab, adalimumab, certolizumab and golimumab.
  • Methotrexate
  • Ciclosporin
  • Tacrolimus
  • Sirolimus
  • Cyclophosphamide
  • Leflunomide

In order to receive a 3rd Primary dose Oaklands require confirmation from the hospital specialist that it is appropriate.   Your GP surgery is unable to make this decision.

I have had either one or more of my covid vaccinations abroad and want to generate a Covid Pass via the NHS App

Patients who have received a covid vaccination in another country are able to ask their GP to record it into their clinical record as long as they have evidence of that vaccination.  

Unfortunately this information does not transfer into the NHS App to produce a Covid Pass.  Patients are therefore advised to contact 119 or review the information in the link below –

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/nhs-covid-pass

I am 16 or 17 and am now eligible to have my second covid vaccination

Oaklands operates under a national protocol that defines the cohorts of patients that may receive the vaccination at our site.   At this stage the protocol does not allow Oaklands to give second vaccinations to 16 and 17 year olds.  Patients are advised to book an appointment at a Mass Vaccination Centre.