COVID-19 Vaccination
The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine is safe and effective. It gives you the best protection against coronavirus.
Key facts about the vaccine
Young people aged 16 or 17
Wondering when you can get your vaccine?
If you turn 18 in the next three months, you can now book your appointment via the NHS website Book a vaccine appointment
It’s quick and easy, so get your vaccine if you can and know that you are keeping you and your loved ones safe.
You can also get your jab at a walk-in clinic or at the vaccine bus without an appointment
Remember to:
- book two appointments for two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine
- get the 2nd dose 8 to 12 weeks after getting your 1st dose.
If you've had your 1st dose at a walk-in centre, you can book your 2nd dose on the NHS website. You'll need to wait 24 hours after your 1st dose before you can book.
If you've had a positive COVID-19 test, you should wait four weeks (28 days) from the date you had the test before you book an appointment.
Not quite old enough?
If you are aged 16 or 17 you can get your 1st dose of a COVID-19 vaccine – but the NHS will contact you when it's your turn. You'll be invited to a local NHS service such as a GP surgery. You cannot currently book your appointment online.
Please note: Some walk-in sites in the region are offering jabs to those aged 16 and 17 and more will be opening in coming weeks.
Young people aged 12 to 15
What do we need to know?
All 12 to 15-year-olds are now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. If you have secondary school age children and live in the East Riding, you may have already received a consent form from the vaccine provider through their school, as dates are booked in. If you haven’t yet, you will receive your child’s consent form shortly as the rollout for the cohort speeds up throughout November. Children who turn 12 on the date of the vaccination will also be eligible.
The consent form is accessed via an electronic vaccination portal for ease. The provider, IntraHealth, is one of the UK’s largest providers of schools' immunisation and vaccination services. The MHRA has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as safe and effective for children following a rigorous review for the age group, which included data from the US, Canada and Israel, who have already offered vaccines for the 12-15 cohort. One dose of the vaccine provides good protection against severe illness and hospitalisation and will also help to reduce transmission in the classroom and in turn disruption to face-to-face education.
Not everyone will get any side effects but if they do, the side effects are mild and should only last one or two days, such as a sore arm, feeling tired, a headache or flu-like symptoms.
The vaccine does not include any live virus or animal products. Remember, it takes two to three weeks to build up some protection from the first dose of vaccine.
Two doses of the vaccine may be offered if your child lives with someone who is more likely to get infections, or if they have a condition that means they are at high risk from COVID-19.
For any student who does not receive their jab on the vaccine day, for example, if they are unwell, or if they have had COVID-19 in the past four weeks, there will be catch-up arrangements in place that the provider will share with their school. Home-schooled children will also be offered a vaccine. Parents or carers will be contacted about when and where they can get theirs.
Can I take my child for their vaccine outside of school?
The NHS national online booking system for 12- to 15-year-olds for vaccination centres has also been made available since the start of October half term as an additional option to school vaccination. If your child has already received their vaccine or been invited through their school, they do not need to do anything. Parents and guardians will be advised to attend vaccination sites with their child if they want them to attend outside of school hours and consent will be sought at the time of booking.
Currently, within the East Riding there are no walk-in options for 12- to 15-year-olds due to the required consent forms, so if you wish your child to be vaccinated out of school, please check the NHS booking site for appointments locally. Appointments will be released regularly, so if there isn’t anything available or accessible at the time, please check again another day.
On Monday, 8 November 2021 a new vaccine centre opened at Princes Quay in Hull which will be doing pre-booked 12 to 15 vaccinations from Monday to Friday, 4pm to 7.20pm and also at weekends. As well as the Hull site, vaccination centres in York and Scunthorpe are also open to East Riding residents to book on the NHS site for anyone aged 12 to 15.
Book a vaccine on the NHS website
The latest government updates on the 12-15 vaccination process
Who can get the vaccine
You can book you vaccine on the NHS website now if any of the following apply:
- you're aged 18 or turn 18 in the next three months
- you're at high risk from COVID-19 (clinically extremely vulnerable)
- you have a condition that puts you at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
- you have a learning disability
- you're a frontline health or social care worker you get a Carer's Allowance, get support following an assessment by your local authority or your GP record shows you're a carer
- if you're an eligible unpaid carer but you cannot book an appointment, speak to your GP surgery.
Read more about who is eligible for a vaccine on the NHS website.
You must be registered with a GP surgery before you book a vaccine. You can register with a GP if you do not have one.
Be aware of vaccine scams
Unfortunately, some people are receiving fraudulent calls and text messages offering the COVID-19 vaccination. Please remember, the vaccine is only available from the NHS and the NHS will contact you when it is your turn.
The NHS will:
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NEVER ask you to press a button on your keypad or send a text asking you to confirm you want the vaccine - this would result in a charge being applied to your phone bill
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NEVER ask for payment for the vaccine or for your bank details
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NEVER arrive announced at a person's home offering a vaccination particularly in exchange for payment.
Read more from AGE UK about vaccine scams.
The BBC also has a useful article about current covid scams.
Pregnancy, Breastfeeding & Fertility
You can still be vaccinated against COVID-19 if:
- you're pregnant or think you might be
- you're breastfeeding
- you're trying for a baby or might get pregnant in the future
COVID-19 vaccines are recommended in pregnancy by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), the Royal College of Midwives and the NHS.
Vaccination is the best way to protect against the known risks of COVID-19 in pregnancy for both women and babies, including admission of the woman to intensive care and premature birth of the baby.
Read the latest advice and Q&A from the Royal College of Midwives here:
Please remember:
- the vaccines cannot give you or your baby COVID-19
- If you are breastfeeding, you cannot pass it to your baby through your breast milk either.
- There's no need to avoid getting pregnant after being vaccinated and no evidence it would affect your chance of getting pregnant in the future.
Please speak to your GP, health visitor or your maternity team if you would like more advice. The decision whether to have the vaccination in pregnancy is your choice but it is strongly advised.
Getting your booster vaccine
Is it time to get your booster jab? Strengthen your protective shield this winter...
If you are in priority groups 1 - 9 and had your second COVID-19 vaccine at least six months ago, you can book yours on the NHS website now, or alternatively you can wait to be contacted by the NHS or your GP.
A booster will help improve the long-term protection you have from the first two doses of the vaccine and help prevent any serious illness related to COVID-19. Updated priority groups include:
- Those living in residential care homes for older adults
- All those aged 16+ with underlying health conditions and at a higher risk*
- All adults aged 40+* (from Monday, 22 November 2021, subject to change - please check NHS site)
- Carers aged 16+
- Household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals aged 16+.
*You can now book your booster online if it's been five months since you had your second dose - you will then be offered appointment dates from six months after the date of your second dose.
If you are a frontline health or social care worker, you can book your booster online now on the NHS website.
Individuals who work for an NHS trust or a care home will usually get their booster dose through their employer.
Please note, you will need to wait four weeks (28 days) before booking your booster appointment if you've had a positive COVID-19 test, starting from the date you had the test.