COVID-19 vaccination update 22 February 2021

GP Vaccination Centre (Jain Community Centre)

COVID-19 vaccinations are currently only available at vaccination centres and not local GP surgeries. The GP Vaccination Centre for our area is the Jain Centre on Stockport Road: Google Maps: Jain Centre. We are proud to announce that we have now vaccinated over 10,000 people at this centre.

Book online:

  • You need a sms text message invitation link to book online. Please use our Contact the Practice form to contact the surgery here or ring if you feel you are eligible and have not received an invitation or if you do not have a mobile phone

Book by telephone:

National Vaccination Centres (pharmacy and mass vaccination sites)

We are lucky to have two pharmacy run national vaccination centres in Whalley Range: Everest Pharmacy on Withington Road and KPS Pharmacy at the Whalley Range Tennis and Cricket Club on Kingsbrook Road. There is also the North West mass vaccination centre at The Etihad Tennis and Football Centre:

Book online:

Book by telephone:

  • NHS 119 for all sites (except the GP Vaccination Centre)
  • 0161 227 8106 (option 3) for Everest Pharmacy Centre
  • 0161 881 2022 (option 3) for KPS Pharmacy Whalley Range Tennis and Cricket Club

COVID-19 vaccination invitations by age

The national vaccination programme is underway following the order of the official JCVI prioritisation groups:

In our area currently everyone aged 70 years and older should have received an invitation. If you are aged 70 years or older you do not need an invitation – you can now book in using the national booking website or by contacting the surgery – see above.

If you are 65-69 years old you will be sent a letter during February from the NHS inviting you to book into a national vaccination centre. You do not need the invitation letter and should be able to book in using your NHS number on the NHS national booking website – see above. If it does not work, please try again after a few days to see if you have become eligible.

If you are aged 50-65 years old you should receive an invitation from the NHS in March or April. These will be sent in age order and so likely to be later if you are nearer 50y. You will be able to book on the national booking website with your NHS number once you are eligible – you do not need an invitation letter.

COVID-19 vaccination invitations for special groups

  • People who are housebound – we have scheduled vaccination for everyone registered with us as housebound. If you or someone you care for is housebound and unable to attend one of the vaccination centres, please contact the practice using our contact the practice form now to let us know.
  • People who are shielding – if you are on the national CEV (clinically extremely vulnerable) register of specific conditions, then you should have received your invitation. Please contact us using our contact the practice form now if you have not had your invitation. Using the latest information about COVID-19, a few people have been written to by the NHS this month advising them that they have been added to the CEV register. If you have received this letter this month we advise you to shield and you are now eligible for priority vaccination.
  • Carers – if you are in receipt of a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare will be risk if you fall ill, you are now eligible for the vaccine. Please contact us via our contact the practice form now to let us know that you are a carer if you have not had an invitation already.
  • People with long term health conditions – people in priority group 6 with long term health conditions as defined by the JCVI are now being invited by sms text or phone call from the GP surgery to book for their covid vaccination. This is a large number of people and so please await an invitation and if you have not received one by the end of March please contact the surgery. The national booking system may not automatically register you as eligible but you can still book into the pharmacy sites using the telephone numbers above and by showing them your text invitation from the surgery.

If you are unsure about having the vaccine

We recommend having the vaccine as soon as you are invited. Please talk to other people who have had the vaccine if you are unsure whether to have it. It is understandable to be cautious about something so new, but in giving our recommendation we consider the following:

  • Without the vaccine everyone has a high risk of catching COVID-19 infection currently and in the future
  • COVID-19 infection can be serious with risk of going to hospital and risk to life.
  • Having the vaccine does not reduce your chance of getting COVID-19 infection by 100% but it does reduce the risk by a lot, and makes it seems to make any COVID-19 infection that you get milder and much less likely to have to go to hospital because of the infection.
  • The after-effects of COVID-19 infection are unknown and worrying. Many people are getting “long-covid” with effects on breathing, taste, smell and energy levels.
  • Although we do not know everything about the vaccine and after-effects, there seems to be more that we don’t know about the after-effects of COVID-19 infection
  • The vaccine programme has careful monitoring and so far the safety of the vaccine seems to be very good – several million people have now received the vaccine around the world
  • The vaccines do not contain live virus and you cannot get COVID-19 from the vaccine.