Vaccine eligibility

The order in which people will be offered the vaccine is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Vaccine eligibility

Those eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine are:

• young people aged 16 and 17 and 9 months will be offered a 1st dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
• All children aged 12 to 15 will be offered a 1st dose of a COVID-19 vaccine (including children who turn 12 on the date of vaccination).
• all adults 17 years 9 months or over will be offered two doses of the vaccine
• people at high risk from COVID-19 (clinically extremely vulnerable), including those aged between 12 and 17 years and 9 months.
• people with a condition that puts them at higher risk (clinically vulnerable)
• people with a learning disability
• people who live or work in care homes
• health and social care workers
• people who are a main carer for someone at high risk from COVID-19

Find out more about who can get a COVID-19 vaccine on the NHS website.

Booking an appointment

If you’re eligible, you can book your COVID-19 vaccination appointments online now, or wait to be contacted by your local service. Find out more about getting your appointment here.

If for any reason you are unable to make your appointment for your 2^nd dose, please let us know ASAP by contacting your GP, Hospital or the National Booking System.

Find out more about booking your vaccine on our getting you vaccine webpage.

If you do not have a booked appointment, you may be turned away if the vaccination centre does not offer walk-in clinics. You can find walk-in clinics in mid and south Essex on our walk-in webpage or in other parts of England on the national NHS website.

COVID vaccination programme guide

This guide explains about the COVID-19 vaccination, who is eligible and who needs to have the vaccine to protect them from coronavirus, available in multiple languages and formats).

Do you need your NHS number or registered at a GP practice?

You do not need to be registered with a GP to receive a COVID-19 or have an NHS number to receive a COVID-19 vaccination.

The below letter sets out that no one should be denied or turned away from any site or prevented from booking for these reasons. You can take this letter with you to show that you are allowed to have a covid-19 vaccine:

If you’re not registered at a GP practice, Find out more information on how to register with a GP in England at the link below

Having your 2^nd COVID-19 vaccination

The 1st dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should give you good protection from coronavirus. But you need to have the 2 doses of the vaccine to give you longer lasting protection.

It’s important that the same vaccine is used for both doses and it will help if you return to the same place as where you had your 1^st dose.

Find out more about getting your second dose on our getting you vaccine webpage.