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Covid-19 vaccination programme
Brighton and Hove update
26 August 2021

Thousands of invitations are going out to 16 and 17 year olds in Sussex this week so that they can benefit from the all-important protection needed to prevent severe illness from COVID-19.

Vaccination is also being offered to children aged 12 to 15 who have a higher risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 or who live with someone at high risk of catching it. Children and their parents in this group will be contacted by their GP practice or a vaccination service to book their vaccination appointments.

While we know that the majority of younger people aged 16 -17 aren’t at risk of severe illness if they catch COVID-19 themselves, we do know that infection rates among this group have been increasing. It’s vital for them to get their all-important protection before they go back to school, college or begin work to help stop the spread in our communities.

People in this age group can get their vaccination by attending a walk-in session or by waiting to be contacted by their GP or local vaccination service to arrange an appointment.

Sites that are available running vaccinations for this age group are on the Sussex Health and Care Partnership website.

Local GP led vaccination services will also be arranging booked appointments for 16 to 17 year olds, and they will be contacting everyone on their registered lists in the coming days.

The Sussex COVID-19 vaccination programme has produced some frequently asked questions for younger people aged 16 -17 years old.

Watch a short video shared by @NHSuk on Twitter about the importance of getting both jabs.

To date, more than 1.15 million people have received both of their vaccines and now have the highest level of protection.

This means that 92%  of individuals in cohorts 1-9 in Sussex  have received their first dose, and 89% have received their second dose.

The local NHS is reminding everyone that it is never too late – if you are yet to have your first vaccination, book your appointment today or come to one of our walk in sessions.

Read more about the vaccination programme

There continue to be walk in sessions taking place this week and weekend to help to make it as easy as possible to get a vaccine for any adult.

Most offer first and second dose (after 8 weeks from the date of your first).

No appointment is needed and you can simply attend during their opening hours.

The vaccine is completely free, and there is no charge to attend the vaccination sessions.

See the walk in sessions for this week and next.

Brighton’s large-scale vaccination centre is moving from the Brighton Centre to Churchill Square shopping centre, into the former Topshop store, from Monday 30 August.

The new site, which is just a short walk from the existing vaccination centre, will be ready to vaccinate people with booked appointments, or those who just want to walk in, from 8.30am.

Vaccination appointments will continue at the Brighton Centre until 7pm on Sunday 29 August before the big move.

Anyone who has a second dose appointment booked at the Brighton Centre on or after Monday 30 August will be contacted by text message and email and informed about the change of location for their vaccination. The date and time of the appointment should remain the same.

Free parking for one hour in Churchill Square’s Orange Car Park is still available for people attending the new site for their jabs over the coming weeks and months.

The new centre will also offer walk in vaccinations to 16 and 17 year olds.
The Brighton Centre vaccination centre was opened on Monday 25 January by Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust. At its peak it delivered up to 3,000 vaccinations a day and the team there has given over 250,000 first and second dose vaccinations since opening.

Find out more about about the vaccination centre move to Churchill Square

Resources have been created to support young people with mental health and wellbeing.

The toolkits, created by partners across Sussex Health and Care Partnership give top tips on how to look after your mental wellbeing and links to helpful resources and tools.

They have been sent to schools across Sussex to be shared with parents and young people as well as to GPs, community groups, and organisations who are working with young people.

If you are interested in receiving copies of the resources please contact sxccg.comms@nhs.net

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust have also developed some useful ‘Recipes 4 Wellbeing’ cards that might help parents and carers support a young person experiencing difficulties with their mental wellbeing.

Much more information about the vaccination programme is available on our website, including details of the services available in each area, latest data, stakeholder briefings, answers to frequently asked questions and links to all the national leaflets and materials.

Thank you for your support in helping to keep our local communities updated and informed about this fast-moving and unprecedented vaccination programme.

> Find more information about the Sussex COVID-19 vaccination programme