NOTE: This information is for employees of Isle of Wight NHS Trust ONLY. Hello everyone, I am really pleased to be able to confirm that the staff COVID-19 vaccination programme will begin tomorrow, Thursday 7 Janaury, at 5pm. The COVID-19 mRNA Vaccine BNT162b2, commonly known as the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine will be arriving tomorrow, so our teams are ready to get going straight away. Like all other medicines and devices, both COVID-19 vaccinations that are currently available, have been granted regulatory MHRA approval to ensure it is safe and effective. The vaccination is being offered to all NHS staff and volunteers by appointment, including frontline, support, computer-based, bank and to those who are shielding. Due to the nature of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, there is a limited period of time between the vaccine leaving the freezer at the Southampton Hospital Hub and being administered, therefore, we'll be running an intense vaccination programme, that allows all IOW NHS staff and volunteers to receive their first vaccination in the next three weeks. To support more choice of times for our frontline staff, if you are not in a patient facing role or are working from home, I politely ask and strongly urge that you book your appointment for a date after Thursday 21 January. Getting your COVID-19 vaccination as soon as you can, is an important step in protecting yourself, your loved ones and our community. However, you MUST continue to follow the guidance in our workplace, including wearing the correct personal protection equipment and following the hands, face and space guidance. Please also continue to take part in the screening programmes you may be involved in such as the SIREN study and Lateral Flow Testing. With high rates of COVID-19 on the Island, it’s more important than ever to get the vaccination to help stop the spread of coronavirus, to avoid pressure on our services and to keep our workforce healthy. Thank you to everyone who has been involved in getting our vaccination programme up and running. |