Spring booster vaccination campaign begins across Derbyshire

Vaccination sites across Derby and Derbyshire are now offering appointments to eligible people as part of a spring booster campaign to protect against Covid-19. 

The appointments are open to people who aged 75 or over, and those who are immunocompromised. Vaccination teams will also be visiting care homes to provide booster shots to residents.

Government guidance recommends a six-month gap between booster jabs to get the best possible protection. Those who are eligible and have not yet had a booster need only wait three months since their last dose to get this benefit.

Will Jones, who is Joint Senior Responsible Officer for the vaccination programme in Derbyshire, said this was an important next step to protect against Covid-19 and get closer to normal life: "The vaccine has been an absolute game changer for us, and it's important that we don't let our guard down now. These boosters will increase people's protection against the virus and continue our successful fight to get back to normality."

"We have a lot of available slots at the Vaccination Centre in Derby and at the GP-led sites and at Community Pharmacy sites as well. This continues to be a huge team effort and we just need people to continue to take up this offer of getting protection against Covid-19.

Dr Steve Lloyd, who is also Joint SRO, said: "If you are 75 or older or you're immunocompromised you should receive an invitation to book a booster or attend a walk-in clinic, and we'll have teams visiting care homes to vaccinate residents as well.

"We’re working hard to ensure these really vital vaccinations are delivered because we know the benefits in terms of better protection from severe symptoms and reduced risk of transmission of the virus."

Since 2020, the COVID-19 vaccine has been our most important protection against the virus, reducing the risk of it being spread and limiting the damage it does to our bodies.

The NHS has given more than two million doses of the vaccine in Derbyshire, including 634,000 booster and third doses. More than four in five eligible adults have received their booster dose.

Since the vaccine was first approved in the UK, health and care services have rapidly adapted their approach to respond to new clinical recommendations, to make it the biggest and most successful vaccination programme in NHS history.

Evergreen primary and booster offer
At the same time, the NHS continues to encourage those who have yet to come forward for their first, second or booster dose, to do so at a time and place that is convenient for them. 

Covid-19 is still active, and the vaccine offers the best protection against becoming seriously unwell, staying out of hospital and passing the virus on to others.

Nearly one in five eligible adults across Derby and Derbyshire have yet to receive their initial booster dose and the NHS is urging them to come forward. 

There are still plenty of walk-in options for people to get their initial booster. People can find their nearest centre or book an appointment at www.nhs.uk/covid-booster or by calling 119 free of charge (translators are available on request). More information can be found at www.nhs.uk/covidvaccine.

Those who have recently recovered from COVID should still come forward for their vaccination, because having had the virus does not give the same levels of protection. 

Anyone over 18 who has had COVID will need to wait four weeks before having any dose of the vaccine, or 12 weeks for those aged 12 to 17.