Covid-19 Vaccination

Essex House Surgery has been approved as the vaccination centre for Barnes, Sheen and half of Kew.

If you are over 45 and have not yet had your vaccine, please call the surgery and we can arrange an appointment for you.

Individual GP practices will be responsible for inviting their own patients to attend Essex House for vaccination, under guidance from Public Health England and NHS England.

We will contact you when it is your turn to be vaccinated. 

Please be assured that we have never wasted vaccine a the end of clinics. We work through the eligible cohorts.

If you had your 1st dose at Essex House prior to 31st January and have not had your second dose, please contact Essex House as a matter of urgency.

What to expect when you attend Essex House for the Covid-19 vaccination

Please wear a face covering when attending the Covid-19 vaccination clinic.

Please do not attend if:

• You currently have Covid-19 or have had Covid-19 in the past 28 days
• You have had a fever for any reason in the previous 48 hours.
• You have received ANY vaccination in the past 7 days

When weather permits, the clinic will be held in the back car park in a tent. You will be directed where to go by volunteers. Please ensure you wear clothing that allows for easy access to your upper arm.

If you have the Pfizer (or moderna) vaccine, government advice is that you should stay on the premises for 15 minutes. You should not drive for 15 minutes after receiving any of the vaccines.

Side effects

What are the side effects?
Like all medicines, vaccines can cause side effects. Most of these are mild and short term, and not everyone gets them. Even if you do have symptoms after the first dose, you still need to have the second dose.

Although you may get some protection from the first dose, having the second dose will give you the best protection against the virus.

Very common side effects include:
• having a painful, heavy feeling and tenderness in the arm where you had your injection. This tends to be worst around 1-2 days after the vaccine.
• feeling tired
• headache
• general aches, or mild flu-like symptoms

Although feeling feverish is not uncommon for two to three days, a high temperature is unusual and may indicate you have COVID-19 or another infection.

An uncommon side effect is swelling of the glands. You can rest and take the normal dose of paracetamol (follow the advice in the packaging) to help make you feel better.

These symptoms normally last less than a week. If your symptoms seem to get worse or if you are concerned, contact the Surgery. If you do seek advice from a doctor or nurse, make sure you tell them about your vaccination so that they can assess you properly.

You can also report suspected side effects of vaccines and medicines through the Yellow Card scheme.
You can do this online by visiting the Coronavirus Yellow Card or by downloading the Yellow Card app.