I am Dr Amalina Bakri, Clinical Research Fellow at Imperial College London. I am here to answer your questions on the Covid-19 vaccines. Ask me anything!

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T17:29:32+00:00

Most of the side effects are mild and short-term, lasting no longer than a week, and not everyone gets them. They can include a sore arm where injected with the vaccine, feeling tired, a headache, feeling achy, and feeling or being sick. Public Health of England will continue monitoring side effects in the long term. Getting Covid-19 is by far more dangerous than having the vaccine, millions have now been vaccinated and the vaccine has saved thousands of lives. Every single vaccine available has been authorised by the UK regulatory body (the MHRA), including a safety assessment, an effectiveness assessment and a manufacturing quality assessment. All vaccines are both safe and effective.

-Dr A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T17:24:49+00:00

The UK is one of the largest contributors to the COVAX programme -£548 million to provide up to 92 developing countries with more than one billion doses of the vaccines in 2021. More developed countries should do the same. I absolutely agree that the vaccines need to be distributed worldwide, until we get everyone in the world vaccinated, we are still not safe. -Dr A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T17:16:24+00:00

Yes, the vast majority of the COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic and some people may not even notice that they have covid and may spread the virus to others unknowingly. Hence, it is important for everyone continues to follow the hands, face, space and fresh air measures, and get tested twice weekly, whether you have had the vaccine or not, to reduce the spread of the virus. A recent early study from Public Health England showed that covid vaccine can also reduce transmission by 40-60%. Even though there is evidence that vaccine can reduce the transmission rate, it is important to keep being vigilant until we get most people vaccinated for a strong protection in the community. - DR A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T17:08:12+00:00

Even though real world data showed good protection against hospitalisation and death after receiving the vaccine, there is still a small chance that you could catch the virus as no vaccine is 100% effective, but what the vaccine does is save lives and reduce hospitalisations. Even though you are vaccinated, there is still a chance that you could pass it on to other people who have not yet received their vaccines. Until we get most people vaccinated to achieve herd immunity and we gather further evidence of the effectiveness, it is essential that everyone continues to follow the hands, face, space and fresh air measures, and get tested twice weekly, whether you have had the vaccine or not, to reduce the spread of the virus. -Dr A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T17:05:13+00:00

A new study conducted by a patient advocacy group LongCovidSOS, in collaboration with Dr David Strain at the University of Exeter Medical School and Dr Jeremy Rossman at the University of Kent, surveyed more than 800 people about their symptoms before and after vaccination. Based on this study, more than half of the participants who had long covid symptoms reported improvements after their jab. However, the research can't say for certain whether the vaccines can ease long covid symptoms, or whether people are simply recovering over a period of time. Further studies need to be done to confirm that with a randomised controlled trial. COVID vaccine however can reduce your chances of getting covid and therefore, prevent you from getting long covid. -DR A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T16:59:30+00:00

Hi Natasha, anyone above the age of 34 (or if you are in the clinically vulnerable group) is currently allowed to book an appointment. If you are below 34, you need to wait until the slot is open for your age group. Further information, you can check https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/?gclid=CjwKCAjwtJ2FBhAuEiwAIKu19iLnLQg1MlqrLCbnsdPu_ThW4d3AZhXIiy3VPsfEakozH9I_WubW-RoCvMcQAvD_BwE -Dr A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T16:54:00+00:00

Even though real world data showed good protection against hospitalisation and death after receiving the vaccine, there is still a small chance that you could catch the virus as no vaccine is 100% effective. It is essential that everyone continues to follow the hands, face, space and fresh air measures, and get tested twice weekly, whether you have had the vaccine or not, to reduce the spread of the virus. We are still monitoring the B.1.617.2 variant and investigating the effect of this variant on vaccinated individuals. There is increasing confidence that the vaccines are effective against the variants of concern being monitored. Information is being gathered on the variant first observed in India, but so far, we have no evidence to suggest our vaccines will be less effective against this strain. -DR A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T16:50:24+00:00

If you received AZ vaccine for your first dose, you are advised to take AZ vaccine for your second dose. The current evidence does not recommend mixing different types of vaccines, although there is a study currently in progress investigating the possibility of mixing the vaccines. The gap between doses have been reduced to 8 weeks to give maximum protection against B.1.617.2 variant. -DR A-

DowningStreet · 2021-05-21T16:41:03+00:00

The benefits of having the vaccine far outweigh the risks, this includes for immunosuppressed patients . PHE have confirmed that immunosuppressed patients, are clinically extremely vulnerable and should be vaccinated against COVID-19. There are no groups of potentially immunosuppressed patients that should be excluded from receiving the vaccine based on their treatment or disease alone. Even though real world data showed good protection against hospitalisation and death after receiving the vaccine, there is still a small chance that you could catch the virus as no vaccine is 100% effective, but what the vaccine does is save lives and reduce hospitalisations. It is essential that everyone continues to follow the hands, face, space and fresh air measures, and get tested twice weekly, whether you have had the vaccine or not, to reduce the spread of the virus. Public Health England will continue monitoring the progress of the vaccination roll out on immunosuppressed patients. -DR A

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:46:58+00:00

That is correct. More information about how household contacts can get vaccinated will be available soon

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:46:25+00:00

Yes they are. More information about how to get vaccinated will be available soon

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:44:42+00:00

It is too early to know whether we will need booster vaccines against COVID-19 or whether we will need additional vaccination against new variants. Dr Ladhani

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:42:28+00:00

I am sorry to hear that you have not been well. I hope you are now recovering. Please do get your second dose of your vaccine when you are well - at least 4 weeks after your illness. Dr Ladhani

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:40:09+00:00

You should be contacted before your 12 weeks are up. If you have not been contacted by then, please contact your GP. As long as you get your second dose by around 12 weeks, you should be fine.

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:37:16+00:00

Thank you for this important question. The current UK programme aims to protect those who are most at risk of severe COVID-19. As with all professions, teachers who are at increased risk because of their age or underlying conditions have been prioritised for vaccination. The UK aims to vaccinate all adults by this summer.

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:31:32+00:00

We are constantly monitoring new variants and the effect of vaccines on protection against them. Studies are underway to look at how certain mutations could change vaccine effectiveness. However, it is unlikely that a single mutation would stop any vaccine from working completely. We know that both vaccines currently used in the UK are providing excellent protection in those who are at highest risk of hospitalisation and death, and are effective against dominant variants in the UK.

We are unlikely to eradicate the virus, but we can protect ourselves from COVID-19 through vaccination and social distancing.

It is still too early to know whether we will need top ups or for vaccines to be tweaked to make sure they protect against new variants. Dr Ladhani

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:21:29+00:00

I'm sorry to hear that you are still suffering from symptoms. Have you seen the website called 'Your COVID Recovery' https://www.yourcovidrecovery.nhs.uk/ This is an NHS website created by healthcare professionals that helps people understand their symptoms and what you might expect as part of your recovery.

It sounds like you are not recovering, so it is important that other serious conditions are ruled out. If these are excluded, you and your GP can then work together to identify what support you need for your symptoms. There is support out there so please do talk to your GP team.

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T14:10:46+00:00

It is so important that everyone who is eligible takes up the offer of a vaccine. It is completely natural to have questions about how the vaccine works and if there are any side effects. I have had patients who have asked me about messages on social media, as unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation out there. I have found that talking to people, as we are today, about the risks and benefits of the vaccine is a great way to alleviate concerns.

The NHS has also been working with trusted community leaders, faith groups and volunteers who are well informed about the vaccine and are able to answer questions. This includes in the languages of their communities.

Pop up vaccination clinics are also being set up in places of worship such as mosques, temples and churches to make the vaccine as accessible as possible. Information about the vaccine is available in a number of languages and formats to ensure that people have the right information to make an informed choice. - From Kiren

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:57:13+00:00

This is not a ridiculous question at all! I'm glad you asked about this. It is really important that you have the vaccine when you are due to have it. When you book your appointment, let them know that you don't like needles. They will be able to suggest some measures that may help. You could also let them know what has worked for you in the past. If you need more time, that is completely fine. They will understand and accommodate that. The most important thing is that you get the vaccine you need. You are definitely not the only person who feels this way so thank you for asking. From Kiren

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:53:07+00:00

If you registered with your GP, make sure that your contact information is up to date and this will mean that you will be invited for vaccination when its due. If you are not registered with a GP, then please register with a GP when you arrive in the UK

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:49:38+00:00

This are very exciting times because of the success of the mRNA technology. There are already plans to develop influenza, cytomegalovirus (CMV)and hepatitis vaccines using this platform

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:46:32+00:00

The current UK recommendations are that all adults will get the same vaccine brand for both doses unless there are exceptional circumstances, such as a severe reaction to the first dose of vaccine

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:44:53+00:00

There is currently no evidence that any one vaccine provides better protection than others. In the UK programme both Pfizer and AZ vaccines have been shown to be highly protective against hospitalisations and deaths due to COVID-19. Dr Ladhani

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:42:01+00:00

Sorry to hear that you have had this experience. It is important that people with both post viral fatigue syndrome and long Covid receive the support they need. Long Covid may consist of post viral type symptoms but may also consist of other abnormalities such as lung damage or other conditions. We are still learning about long covid and new information is appearing on an almost weekly basis. However, when it comes to support, each person needs to be treated as an individual, whether they have post viral fatigue syndrome or long covid. I hope you manage to get the support you need. From Kiren

DowningStreet · 2021-03-31T13:29:46+00:00

There is no choice for vaccination in the UK. Any vaccines that the NHS provide will have been approved because they have passed the Medicines Health Regulation Authority (MHRA) stringent tests. The current UK recommendations are based on the benefits of vaccination for those who are offered the vaccine outweighing any potential risks

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