Croydon COVID-19 vaccination programme

Last updated: 13 May 2021

COVID-19 vaccination walk-in session at Croydon University Hospital

Are you eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination but haven’t got around to booking your appointment yet? There will be walk-in sessions held for those aged 40+ and frontline health & care workers who have not yet had their 1st vaccine. Sessions will be held between 8am & 7pm on Monday 10th May to Sunday 16th May 2021. There is no need to book an appointment just bring along proof of age, or employment ID, to have your 1st jab. Find out more.

Over 38? Book your COVID-19 vaccination online now

If you’re aged over 38, a carer or have an underlying health condition, call 119 or visit nhs.uk/covid-vaccination to book your COVID-19 vaccination appointment.

Your local NHS is delivering the biggest vaccination programme in its history. Everyone has an important part to play to help us with this programme of work

  • The COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective. They will give you the best protection against coronavirus.
  • It’s never too late to get the Covid vaccine. It’s safe and effective, but speak to your GP if you have any concerns.

Who’s being prioritised for vaccination?

Our priority remains vaccinating the most vulnerable people in south west London. The NHS will offer you a vaccination when it’s your turn – this will be when you’re in a priority group.

Find out who is being prioritised and why

What do you need to know about appointments?

When it’s your turn, you’ll be invited by the NHS to book an appointment.

Read more about how you will be invited for vaccination

Where can you get vaccinated?

The vaccination is being offered in a variety of places across south west London, including GP and pharmacy-led services, hospitals and community vaccination centres.

Find out where you can get vaccinated

Weekly update

We’ve made good progress protecting our most vulnerable residents from COVID-19, but there is still more work to be done. We’re encouraging everyone who is currently eligible, but has yet to receive the vaccine, that it’s not too late to get the jab.

We’re urging anyone in a priority group to book an appointment for their first dose as soon as possible. If you’re eligible for the vaccine, book your appointment online or by calling 119.

Read more in our weekly borough update

Highlight of the week

Trinity Baptist Church in Croydon recently hosted a walk-in vaccination clinic. Segina Agama, Chief Pharmacist for South West London CCG Merton borough told us more about the clinic and why it’s important to get your vaccine.

Watch more films about COVID-19 vaccination

Top five questions

At the moment, people are offered the same vaccine for both of their doses. The Oxford Vaccine Group’s Com-Cov vaccine trial is currently testing how well people’s immune systems respond when they are primed with one type of vaccine, then boosted with another. They are also looking at how good the response is when the second dose is separated from the first dose by different periods of time. Read more about the study

The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should give you good protection from COVID-19 after three or four weeks. But you need to have the two doses of the vaccine to give you longer lasting protection.

The approved COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any animal products or egg. The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Foundation is a UK-based charity dedicated to establishing and protecting the rights of all animals, they have published recommendations for people who are vegan and considering having a vaccine.

Scientists continue to look carefully at the characteristics of the virus in relation to the vaccines.  There is no evidence currently that the new strains will be resistant to the vaccines we have, and vaccination remains the best protection we have against COVID-19. Viruses, such as the winter flu virus, often branch into different strains but these small variations rarely render vaccines ineffective.

There is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines will affect fertility, and you do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination. The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19.  The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the Royal College Midwives (RCM) issued a joint statement to reassure around the misinformation shared about the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on fertility.  In the statement, Dr Edward Morris, President at RCOG, said: “We want to reassure women that there is no evidence to suggest that COVID-19 vaccines will affect fertility.” RCM Chief Executive Gill Walton added: “Women who are eligible for the vaccination should consider discussing any concerns they have with their midwife or healthcare professional.” Read the the full statement

Discover more answers in our Q&A

Information in different formats and languages

You can translate all the written content on this website by using the language menu in the top right hand corner of this page.

Useful resources are available in many languages and formats, including British Sign Language, which will help you to learn more about the vaccine and how it’s being offered. The handy resources have been produced by the NHS, Public Health England and partners.

Explore the leaflets to find out more

Engagement with local communities in Croydon

We know that in Croydon some of our communities are less likely to take up the offer of the vaccine than other groups.

We’re engaging with local communities to give people the chance to ask local experts about the vaccine so that they can make informed decisions and we can understand any concerns they may have.

Among our most recent events, we met with residents’ associations from the south of the borough and GPs in Thornton Heath held a webinar for patients, which was attended by around 70 people. Pop up clinics were held at Grace Evangelical Outreach and Sakthy Ghanapathy Temple.  Night Watch food kitchen also held a pop up clinic for homeless people and rough sleepers – similar clinics for homeless families and asylum seekers will be held in early April.

Among upcoming activity we’ll be meeting with younger people, which includes question and answer sessions with students from Croydon College. Also, local GPs will be working with COVID Crisis Rescue Foundation, Rainbow Health Centre and Vaxi Taxis to vaccinate people in the heart of their communities – this includes using taxis to transport people but also as mobile vaccination pods.

To find out more about engagement in Croydon, you can read the Croydon Communications and Engagement Plan. 

If you’d like to attend a local COVID-19 vaccination event or find out more, email getinvolved@swlondon.nhs.uk

COVID-19 news

Borough updates

For the latest coronavirus updates, and information from your area, please visit Croydon Council