Confident conversations about the Covid-19 vaccine

For those who haven’t yet had their first, second or booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine yet, the message across South West London is that our clinic doors are always open, and we’d be very pleased to welcome you through them.

Edward Grier, aged 70, had his first dose of the vaccine at the Nelson Health Centre on 12 January 2022. Edward had resisted getting the vaccine at first because he was worried about how it would affect his underlying health conditions. “I believed all the misinformation,” he said.

I thank Sedina for giving me some very important knowledge about how safe the vaccine is.”

But during a visit to the Nelson for a routine blood test, he got into conversation with the vaccine walk-in clinician and Chief Pharmacist, Sedina Agama. “I thank Sedina for giving me some very important knowledge about how safe the vaccine is. I don’t want to catch Covidand end up in the hospital. So, I have changed my mind and I got my first jab and I’m so happy!”

‘Get boosted’, has been the message over the past couple of months, with a big national push to offer all over 18s a third dose by the end of last year. In South West London alone, three quarters of a million booster and third dose vaccines have been delivered but this isn’t the whole story. Like Edward, many people are still making up their minds and coming for their first dose vaccine every week.

If you haven’t had your first or second dose vaccine yet, you might be wondering if you’ve missed the boat? The answer is a clear NO, according to lead GP for Merton, Dr Vasa Gnanapragasam: “We know from our conversations that some people wanted to wait to have the vaccine at first.”

“But now that 9 billion doses have been given worldwide, people are feeling comfortable about the vaccines, understanding that they are safe, effective and the best protection against coronavirus. However, we know that some feel a bit awkward about coming forward at this stage.”

For those of you who haven’t had any vaccine yet don’t worry about it, we start here, now.”

“For those of you who haven’t had any vaccine yet don’t worry about it; that’s history, we start here, now. Get the first dose, get some protection, get the second dose, get more protection then get a third one and get even more protection. It can save your life and it will help us to beat this virus down and then get on with our lives.”

Please be assured that all our vaccine centres offer you a warm welcome, whether it’s your first, second or booster dose. There are no different queues for different doses and no one except vaccination staff will know which one you’re there for.

Anyone who still has questions can call in to any of our vaccine centres for a chat, with no pressure to get the jab. You can find them on the NHS South West London Covid-19 pages or make your appointment online through the national booking system.