COVID Vaccine FAQs

If you’re a frontline healthcare worker in the NHS, you are more likely to be exposed to COVID-19 at work. Healthcare workers and those working in social care (particularly in care homes) are at much higher risk of repeated exposure to the infection.

Catching COVID-19 can be serious and may lead to long term complications. These are more common in older staff or those with underlying clinical risk factors.

You can have COVID-19 without any symptoms and pass it on to family, friends and patients, many of whom may be at increased risk from coronavirus.

Being healthy doesn’t reduce your risk of catching COVID-19 or passing it on.

With high rates of COVID-19, it’s more important than ever to help stop the spread of coronavirus, to avoid pressure on the NHS and to keep the health and social care workforce healthy.

The JCVI have put patient-facing health and social care staff into a priority group because of their heightened risk of exposure to the virus.

The NHS is experienced in vaccinating hundreds of thousands of staff quickly and safely – we do it every year for the flu vaccine – and all local NHS employers will be responsible for ensuring that 100% of eligible staff have the opportunity to take it up over the coming weeks and months.

Yes, regular bank staff are able to receive their vaccine and it is being managed via Temporary Staffing.

The Trust delivers all 3 vaccines; Oxford AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna at Saints Rugby Stadium.

The COVID-19 vaccination will reduce the chance of you suffering from COVID-19 disease. Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective and it takes a few weeks for your body to build up protection from the vaccine. Some people may still get COVID-19 despite having a vaccination, but this should lessen the severity of any infection.

The evidence on whether COVID-19 vaccination reduces the chance of you passing on the virus is less clear. Most vaccines reduce the overall risk of infection, but some vaccinated people may get mild or asymptomatic infection and therefore be able to pass the virus on. It is highly likely that any infection in a vaccinated person will be less severe and that viral shedding will be shortened. We therefore expect that vaccinated health and care staff will be less likely to pass infection to their friends and family and to the vulnerable people that they care for.

The MHRA have said these vaccines are highly effective, but to get full protection people need to come back for the second dose – this is really important. 

To ensure as many people are vaccinated as quickly as possible, the Department for Health and Social Care now advise that the second dose of both the OxfordAstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine should be scheduled up to 12 weeks apart.

Full protection kicks in around a week or two after that second dose, which is why it’s also important that when you do get invited, you act on that and get yourself booked in as soon as possible. Even those who have received a vaccine still need to follow social distancing and other guidance.

You cannot catch COVID-19 from the vaccine but it is possible to have caught COVID-19 and not realise you have the symptoms until after your vaccination appointment. Please continue to have the regular screening tests that your employer arranges.

If you have any of the symptoms of COVID-19, stay at home and arrange to have a test.

If you need more information on symptoms visit www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus- COVID-19/symptoms/

The guidance on suitability of the Pfizer vaccine for allergy sufferers has been updated as of January 2021.

The MHRA is no longer advising that individuals with a history of anaphylaxis to any vaccine, medicine or food do not get the vaccine. However, the MHRA advice remains that individuals should not receive the vaccine if they have a history of allergic reactions to any of the vaccine ingredients or if they experience anaphylaxis after the first dose.

For more information on the ingredients of the vaccine, please click here.

The Government has announced that from April 2022, it will be compulsory for NHS staff in England to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, this means that they must have at least two vaccinations recorded between January 2021 and March 2022.

The regulations will apply to health and social care workers who have direct, face-to-face contact with people while providing care – such as doctors, nurses, dentists and domiciliary care workers, unless they are exempt.

They will also apply to ancillary staff such as porters or receptionists who may have social contact with patients but are not directly involved in their care. This will apply across the CQC-regulated health and social care sector.

Further information has been published today on the Government’s website click here to read.

We expect much more detailed information regarding any exemptions and the mandated COVID-19 vaccination for NHS staff to be released in the coming weeks, and as soon as the Trust receives this we will of course share it with you.

Yes, you should be able to work as long as you feel well. If your arm is particularly sore, you may find heavy lifting difficult. If you feel unwell or very tired you should rest and avoid operating machinery or driving.

If you are unwell, it is better to wait until recovered to have your vaccine, but you should try to have it as soon as possible. You should not attend a vaccine appointment if you are self-isolating, waiting for a COVID-19 test or unsure if you are fit and well.

The vaccine cannot give you COVID-19 infection, and two doses will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill. No vaccine is completely effective and it will take a few weeks for your body to build up protection.

So, you will still need to follow the guidance in your workplace, including wearing the correct personal protection equipment and taking part in any screening programmes.

To continue to protect yourself, your patients, your family, friends and colleagues you should follow the general advice at work, at home and when you are out and about:

• practise social distancing
• wear a face mask
• wash your hands carefully and frequently
• follow the current guidance www.gov.uk/coronavirus

Like all medicines, vaccines can cause side effects. Most of these are mild and short-term, and not everyone gets them. Even if you do have symptoms after the first dose, you still need to have the second dose. Although you may get some protection from the first dose, having the second dose will give you the best protection against the virus.

Very common side effects include:

• having a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection. This tends to be worst around 1-2 days after the vaccine
• feeling tired
• headache
• general aches, or mild flu like symptoms

Although feeling feverish is not uncommon for two to three days, a high temperature is unusual and may indicate you have COVID-19 or another infection (see advice on page 6).

You can take the normal dose of paracetamol (follow the advice in the packaging) and rest to help you feel better. Do not exceed the normal dose.

These symptoms normally last less than a week. If your symptoms seem to get worse or if you are concerned, call NHS 111. If you do seek advice from a doctor or nurse, make sure you tell them about your vaccination (show them the vaccination card) so that they can assess you properly.

You can report suspected side effects of vaccines and medicines through the Yellow Card scheme. You can do this online by searching Coronavirus Yellow Card or by downloading the Yellow Card app.

Yes. The MHRA have updated their guidance to say that pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding can have the vaccine but should discuss it with a clinician to ensure that the benefits outweigh any potential risks.

You do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination. The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19. 

There is no reason to think that the vaccine would have any impact on fertility. The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, have advised: “We want to reassure women that there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines will affect fertility. Claims of any effect of Covid-19 vaccination on fertility are speculative and not supported by any data. 

“There is​ ​no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines would cause any impact on women’s fertility.  Evidence has not been presented that women who have been vaccinated have gone on to have fertility problems.”

There is no material of foetal or animal origin in either vaccine. All ingredients are published in healthcare information on the MHRA’s website.

For the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine information is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-pfizer-biontech-vaccinefor-covid-19

For the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine information is available here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulatory-approval-of-covid-19-vaccineastrazeneca

People currently unwell and experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should not receive COVID19 vaccine until they have recovered.

Yes, they should get vaccinated. There is no evidence of any safety concerns from vaccinating individuals with a past history of COVID-19 infection, or with detectable COVID19 antibody so people who have had COVID-19 disease (whether confirmed or suspected) can still receive COVID-19 vaccine.

The flu vaccine does not protect you from COVID-19. As you are eligible for both vaccines you should have them both, but normally separated by at least a week.

No, the COVID-19 vaccine will not protect you against the flu. If you have been offered a flu vaccine, please try to have this as soon as possible to help protect you, your family and patients from flu this winter.