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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Saffron Otter

How the over 70s can book a coronavirus vaccine appointment with the NHS

Those over the age of 70 who are yet to be offered a coronavirus jab have now been told to get in touch with the NHS.

The health service in England has changed its messaging to "contact us" so that people over 70 make their own appointments.

At the moment, the government's focus for the vaccine rollout is on the top priority groups set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

This includes all those over 70, health and social care workers, care home residents, their carers and people deemed to be clinically extremely vulnerable to the virus.

Boris Johnson set a target of February 15 to have offered all people in the top four priority groups a jab.

How do you now book a jab?

In order to not overwhelm the NHS, the initial messaging to the public was to wait until the NHS contacted them about their vaccine.

With a week to go until the target is met, now those over 70 must book an appointment using the website www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or those unable to get online can call 119.

If a suitable slot can't be arranged, people can also still call their GP practice.

Health and social care workers who still haven't been offered the jab should speak to their employer about arranging it.

And GP teams have been asked to contact their clinically extremely vulnerable patients.

Meanwhile, the NHS has also urged people who have been given two jab slots to cancel one so the slot can be used by someone else.

This might occur if a patient’s GP surgery books an appointment as well as the national booking service.

So far 12 million people across the UK have received a Covid-19 inoculation.

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