Public advised to wait for coronavirus vaccine call

People living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire who are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine should wait to be contacted by the NHS, instead of calling local hospitals or GP practices directly.  

The advice comes as the region prepares to deliver the first batch of vaccines for Covid-19, which were officially approved for use by the medicines regulator last week.

First in line for the vaccine will be people aged 80 and over, as well as care home staff and the frontline NHS workers most at-risk.

The rollout of the vaccine is a huge logistical challenge, and comes at a time when the NHS is already managing ongoing coronavirus-related challenges, as well as traditional winter pressures.

Local people can show their support for the operation by waiting to be contacted with instructions of how to receive the vaccine, while continuing to observe the current social distancing guidance.

The physical process of giving the vaccine to the one million people living in Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire will be a marathon and not a sprint, with wider vaccination happening over the next few months.

More information on the vaccine can be found online at www.nhs.uk.