A strong partnership of councils, NHS organisations, voluntary and community organisations across Barnet, Camden, Enfield, Haringey and Islington, is working closely together to deliver the COVID-19 vaccination programme. We have agreed a clear plan to deliver the largest vaccination programme across north central London in our history.
We have now started receiving supply of the two vaccines that have been rigorously tested and confirmed as safe and highly effective by the expert Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). We started providing the Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine in early December and gave our first jab of the Oxford / AstraZeneca vaccine in January.
Residents are being invited to have the vaccination in priority order. In line with the priorities, we have started vaccinating over 80s, frontline NHS staff and those working in care homes.
To help make sure we can vaccinate as many residents as possible, we are asking all members of the public to not contact your GP about when you can get a vaccination. We need all practice staff to be able to focus on making sure the right people are contacted at the right time for vaccination appointments. You will be contacted as soon as it is your turn to come forward.
The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective and gives you the best protection against coronavirus. Every batch of COVID-19 vaccines undergoes stringent tests to ensure its safety, before it can be used, so please take up your invite and make sure you attend your appointments when you arrange them.
In north central London (NCL) we are providing the vaccine through four main methods.
- Hospital hubs – located within local hospitals will be clinics run by hospital staff administering vaccines primarily to inpatients, outpatients, NHS and care staff.
- Local vaccine services – smaller scale sites provided by GPs and pharmacies within local communities.
- Vaccination centres – large scale sites convenient for transport networks that support high volumes in a fixed location for an extended period.
- Roving models – comprising vehicles that can deploy vaccinators, vaccine and supplies on an outreach basis, for those housebound or in care settings, such as care homes.
As supply of the approved vaccines increases, we will be able to vaccinate more and more people via each method.
Vaccines are our best defence against the virus but with cases rising rapidly across London, we can’t afford to drop our guard. Please follow the guidance to protect yourselves and your family – keep 2 metres apart from anyone outside your household or bubble, regularly wash your hands for 20 seconds or more and cover your face and nose when you are in public indoor spaces.
For more information about the vaccine visit the NHS website.
We have answered some of your questions below. You can view more questions and answers by reading the FAQs.
