Since December, Chipping Norton Health Centre have been working with four local surgeries as part of a primary care network called ‘North Oxfordshire Rural Alliance’ to deliver vaccines from our spacious premises. With outstanding efforts from staff and volunteers, we have succeeded in delivering over 30,000 vaccines.

We are keen to keep working hard towards vaccinating as many patients as we can, so we are continuing in delivering the vaccines to groups 10-12, as well as completing the 2^nd doses for those in groups 1-9. On a weekly basis, logistics and guidelines change. Please continue to read the following information regarding some recent updates.

Booking key points:

• For group 1-9 patients, the health centre team have been sending text invites and phoning our patients to book their appointments.
• For our group 10-12 patients, the NHS ‘National Booking Service’ are sending out texts or letters to those eligible. If there is appointment availability at the Chipping Norton Health Centre site when you receive your text, you may have the opportunity to book via the National Booking Service.
• Please avoid contacting the surgery about vaccination appointments so that our reception team are available for calls from patients who are unwell.

Pregnant patients:

• There have been no specific safety concerns identified with any brand of Covid-19 vaccines in relation to pregnancy.
• 90,000 pregnant women have been vaccinated with Pfizer and Moderna in the USA without any safety concerns.
• Based on the evidence we have, it is preferable for pregnant women in the UK to be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines where available.
• There is no evidence to suggest that other vaccines are unsafe for pregnant women, but more research is needed.
• Being pregnant by itself does not put you into a ‘priority’ vaccine group. You would only be vaccinated as part of the group 1-9 cohort if you had other particular health conditions that put you into those priority groups.
• Pregnant women who have received a first dose of AstraZeneca and are due to receive their 2^nd dose are advised to complete with the same vaccine.

For more information:

COVID-19 vaccination: a guide for all women of childbearing age, pregnant or breastfeeding – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Combined info sheet and decision aid 16.04.2021 (rcog.org.uk)

AstraZeneca guideline change:

• For details on last week’s change in guidelines for the AstraZeneca vaccine, please read the following:

Use of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 (AZD1222) vaccine: updated JCVI statement, 7 May 2021 – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• Adults under 40 years old, without underlying health conditions,  who are currently eligible for the vaccine should be preferentially offered an alternative to the AstraZeneca vaccine, where possible, and only where no substantial delay or barrier in access to vaccination would arise.

Second doses of AstraZeneca:

• All those who have received a 1^st dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine should continue to be offered a 2^nd dose of AstraZeneca vaccine, irrespective of age. The 2^nd dose will be important for longer lasting protection against Covid-19.
• The only individuals who should not have a 2^nd dose of AstraZeneca are those who have experienced major thrombosis occurring with associated low platelet levels following vaccination with their first Covid-19 vaccine.