Everyone aged 16 and over can now be vaccinated against COVID-19 in our area, so please don’t delay. You do not need to wait to be contacted by the NHS. You can book your vaccine using the National Booking Service or you can attend a local walk-in clinic. If you are under 18, please make sure the walk-in clinic you plan to attend offers vaccination for people your age. You can find a full list of walk-in clinics here. You may also be contacted by your GP to book your vaccination.
You do not have to be registered with a GP, have an NHS number, or be documented in order to have your vaccination. If you are in this position, please attend a walk-in clinic or contact a GP to book your vaccination, and explain your situation.
When you come for your vaccination, please bring a face covering, your booking reference or NHS number if you know it, and remember to eat and drink before your appointment.
Vaccinating young adults approaching 18
From the age of 17 ¾, 3 months before your 18th birthday, you can book a vaccination appointment using the National Booking Service or by calling 119. Alternatively, you can attend a walk-in clinic that is offering vaccinations to people aged 17 ¾ year olds at www.grabajab.net. Please ensure that the clinic you plan to attend is offering vaccines to people aged 17 ¾ before you attend. You may also be invited to be vaccinated by your GP.
Young people aged 16 to 17 ¾
Young people aged 16 to 17 ¾ can have their vaccination at some walk-in clinics or you may be contacted by your GP. You can find a list of our walk-in clinics at www.grabajab.net. Please ensure that the clinic you plan to attend is offering vaccination to people aged 16 and over before you attend. We are working on additional vaccination options for people aged 16-17 ¾ and will update this page when those plans are finalised.
Young people in this age group are currently being offered their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and we are waiting for national guidance about second doses.
School-based immunisation for 12 to 15-year-olds
In autumn 2021, all children aged 12 to 15 in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) will be offered both a COVID-19 vaccine and a flu vaccine. The flu vaccination programme already includes all children in primary schools and is being expanded this year to include older children. Children aged 12-15 will also be offered one dose of the COVID-19 vaccination.
This significant expansion in the school immunisation programme is part of the government’s wider winter planning to reduce flu levels in the population, and therefore the potential impact on the NHS, when we are likely to see both flu and coronavirus (COVID-19) in circulation. In our area, the School Immunisation Service is provided by Sirona care & health.
Most vaccinations will be given in a school setting and we will also provide community clinics for young people who are unable to attend school-based clinics. Parents/carers will be sent information about both vaccinations by their child’s school or local authority which will include a link to an online consent portal. The consent portal has separate consent forms for the flu and COVID-19 vaccines and parents/carers will be asked whether or not they agree to their child having each vaccine. Paper copies of the consent forms will also be available.
If parents/carers consent to both vaccines, they will be given at the same time. The flu vaccine is administered using a nasal spray, while the COVID-19 vaccine will be given with an injection to a child’s upper arm.
Vaccinating ‘at risk’ children aged 12 to 15
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that some children and young adults aged 12-15 with underlying health conditions or who are household contacts of people who are immunosuppressed are eligible to have the COVID-19 vaccine. We are waiting for additional national guidance in order to be able to finalise our plans for these groups and we will update this page when they are confirmed.
If your child is aged 12-15 and has a specific health condition that means they are eligible for vaccination, we will contact you. Please do not contact your GP. Young people aged 16 and 17 who are in this position have already been offered a vaccination as part of priority group 6.
The underlying health conditions outlined in the JCVI guidance include:
- severe neuro-disabilities
- Down’s syndrome
- underlying conditions resulting in immunosuppression
- those with profound and multiple learning disabilities (PMLD), severe learning disabilities or who are on the learning disability register
If your child is aged 12-15 and is a household contact of people who are immunosuppressed, then you should email bnssg.massvaccination@nhs.net in order that details of how to book can be forwarded to you.
You can read the advice from the JCVI here.
A letter that outlines next steps is published here
Third dose vaccination for severely immunosuppressed aged 12+
The JCVI has advised that people with severely weakened immune systems should have a third COVID-19 vaccine dose. This is separate from any potential COVID-19 booster vaccination. There are national recommendations as to who is considered eligible for the third vaccine and General Practices are working with Hospital Specialists locally to identify those who should receive this. There is no need to contact the NHS. If you or your child is eligible for vaccination, we will contact you.
For more information see JCVI issues advice on third dose vaccination for severely immunosuppressed - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
COVID-19 boosters and Flu vaccinations
In Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) we are currently planning both COVID-19 booster vaccinations and annual winter Flu vaccinations. The two vaccination programmes will operate at the same time and, if possible and appropriate, may overlap.
We are waiting for final details of the COVID-19 booster programme. In the meantime, GP practices and Community Pharmacies are continuing with their Flu vaccination planning and may contact you to book an appointment.
If you are eligible for either vaccination, we encourage you to take up the offer, as it is unlikely that we will be able to offer both vaccinations at the same time, except in specific circumstances.
NHS COVID Pass
- A COVID Pass shows your COVID-19 vaccination details or test results. This is your COVID-19 status.
- You may be asked to show your pass to travel abroad, or at events and venues in England asking for proof of your COVID-19 status.
- Please visit this page for more information about the NHS Covid Pass and how to access it
Ashton Gate Vaccination Centre is closed
Ashton Gate Vaccination Centre closed on 4 August 2021. All appointments have been transferred to the Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol on the same day as your original appointment.
If you can’t get to the Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol on the same day as your original appointment, please rebook or attend a walk-in clinic. If you had Moderna vaccine and can’t get to the Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol for your second dose, please email bnssg.massvaccination@nhs.net.
Local Progress
In our area, we are making good progress with the vaccination programme and everyone aged 18 and over has now been invited to book their COVID-19 vaccination.
- Watch video: our local progress up to February 2021
- Each week the NHS publishes data on vaccinations. You can find the latest figures here.
- You can find answers to commonly asked questions about the vaccination programme in our Question & Answer section.
Second Dose Appointments
It’s really important that you attend your appointment for your second dose of the COVID-19 vaccination. A second dose of the same vaccine provides the strongest possible protection from a severe outcome from COVID-19, particularly against more transmissible variants of the vaccine.
Please make every effort to attend your second dose appointment unless you are ill with a fever or have symptoms of COVID-19.
Local vaccination sites
In Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, we are taking a whole system approach to our Covid-19 vaccination programme. This means that our GP’s, pharmacies and mass vaccination centre are working together to offer eligible people a vaccination in the most appropriate setting possible.
Vaccination sites across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire include:
GP vaccination sites
GP Practices are working together in groups called ‘Primary Care Networks’ to provide the vaccine at 19 sites.Read more about Primary Care Networks and their locations.
Vaccination sites run by GPs are located at:
- Kingswood Health Centre, Kingswood, South Gloucestershire
- Riverbank Medical Centre, Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset
- The Greenway, Greenway Community Centre, Southmead, Bristol
- Pudding Pie Lane Surgery, Langford, North Somerset
- Healthwest, Clifton College Preparatory School Hall, Bristol
- Bridge View Medical Marksbury Road Branch, Bedminster, Bristol
- Horfield Health Centre, Horfield, Bristol
- Brockway Medical Centre, Nailsea, North Somerset
- West Walk Surgery, Yate, South Gloucestershire
- East Trees Health Centre, Fishponds, Bristol
- Christchurch Family Medical Centre, Downend, South Gloucestershire
- Shirehampton Group Practice, Shirehampton, Bristol
- Portishead Medical Centre, North Somerset
- Severnview Family Practice, Thornbury, South Gloucestershire
- Stockwood Medical Centre, Bristol
- Concord Medical Centre, Little Stoke, South Gloucestershire
- Fishponds Family Practice, Fishponds, Bristol
- Knowle West Healthy Living Centre, Bristol
- Lodgeside Surgery, Kingswood, Bristol
Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol
Our new large-scale Vaccination Centre @ UWE Bristol.
Pharmacies
We have 11 vaccination sites run by local pharmacies:
- Superdrug in Broadmead, Bristol
- Bedminster Pharmacy (delivering vaccinations at Bedminster Methodist Church).
- Billings Pharmacy, Kingswood
- Ellacombe Pharmacy, Longwell Green (delivering vaccinations at Longwell Green Community Centre).
- Kellaway Pharmacy, Bristol
- Shaunaks Pharmacy, Redcliffe
- Boots Pharmacy, The Mall Cribbs Causeway
- Boots Pharmacy, Imperial Retail Park, Hartcliffe
- Boots Pharmacy, Weston-super-Mare High Street
- Sea Cadets, Sunnyside Road North, Weston-super-Mare
- Locking Pharmacy, Weston-super-Mare
Please be patient and kind to our staff at all times.
Do stay alert to the threat of the virus and follow Government guidance.
Mobile Vaccination Programme
As part of our Vaccination Programme, mobile outreach clinics are being carried out in the community in a variety of locations such as local community centres, mosques and temples.
If you have questions about a specific community clinic, please email bnssg.communications@nhs.net.
Walk-in clinics
We are operating walk-in clinics across our area to make it as easy as possible for people to have their vaccination. For a full list of walk-in clinics, please visit this page.
Anyone aged 18 or over from anywhere in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire can attend any of the walk-in COVID-19 vaccination clinics, below.
You don’t need an appointment to attend a walk-in clinic, but if you know your NHS number this will help speed up registering your details.
We are following guidelines from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) to give second vaccinations at 8 weeks. Please do not attend a walk-in clinic for your second dose, if your first vaccination was less than 8 weeks ago.
Safety of the AstraZeneca Vaccination
There have been reports of an extremely rare condition involving the AstraZeneca vaccine and blood clots, known as cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST).
Around 4 people develop this condition for every million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine given and is seen slightly more often in younger people. CVST can also occur naturally and clotting problems are a common complication of COVID-19 infection.
As a precautionary measure, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), we are offering eligible people under 40 who have not yet had their first COVID-19 vaccination, an alternative vaccine to AstraZeneca. For people in older age groups, the JCVI has stated that the benefits of prompt vaccination with AstraZeneca vaccine far outweigh the risks.
Anyone under 40 who has already had a first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and did not have a CVST blood clot, should still have their second dose of AstraZeneca when invited in order to have increased and longer-lasting protection from COVID-19. We know that two doses of the same vaccine provides over 90% protection from hospitalisation from COVID-19.
The risks from COVID-19 are much higher than the risks from the vaccine. For example, data shows that for every 100,000 40-49 year olds who contract COVID-19, 5.5 people will need Intensive Care treatment compared to 0.5 people who may experience harm from the AstraZeneca vaccine.
An increased risk has not yet been seen after other COVID-19 vaccines but is being carefully monitored.
This leaflet from Public Health England provides more information about the benefits and risks of the AZ COVID-19 vaccination.
What symptoms should I look out for after vaccination?
Although serious side effects following vaccination are extremely rare, if you experience any of the following from around 4 days to 4 weeks after vaccination you should contact 111 or your GP, urgently.
- a new, severe headache which is not helped by usual painkillers or is getting worse
- a headache which seems worse when lying down or bending over or
- an unusual headache that may be accompanied by: blurred vision, nausea and vomiting; difficulty with your speech; weakness, drowsiness or seizures
- new, unexplained pinprick bruising or bleeding
- shortness of breath, chest pain, leg swelling or persistent abdominal pain
Further information