Pfizer Vaccine To Be Offered At Local Centres
Jabs available from Wednesday as alternative to Astra Zeneca version
The Pfizer vaccine is being offered to patients in west London as younger age groups get offered the Covid jab.
So far the mass vaccination centres in north west London have been offering the AstraZeneca vaccine developed at Oxford University.
The move comes as the over 40s are being offered the Pfizer jabs at large vaccine centres from Wednesday (12 May) following concerns about “extremely rare” risks of blood clots amongst people who had the AstraZeneca jab. It will be offered to the under 40s when their turn comes.
Nationally 30m people have been vaccinated, with four out of every million people vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine developing blood clots. It is more likely to affect younger people. The Pfizer jabs will also be offered to pregnant women.
People can get the Pfizer vaccine by appointments at the Fountain Leisure Centre in Brentford as well as the Novotel in Hammersmith and CP House on Uxbridge Road, Ealing.
The Pfizer jab will also now be on offer for pre-booked vaccination sessions at the Science Museum in South Kensington.
The museum on Exhibition Road welcomed 3.3m visitors pre-pandemic in 2019 and won the prestigious Art Fund museum of the year award.
It became a mass vaccination centre this spring to help reach as many Londoners as possible in the battle against Covid.
Last week the chairman of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation Professor Wei Shen Lim said people aged 30 to 39 should be offered alternatives to the AstraZeneca vaccine “where this is possible”.
By May 2, 3.6m Londoners had their first vaccine and 1.5m of them had their second dose too.
Currently the vaccines are available to anyone over 40 or those who will be by 1 July and older age groups as well as vulnerable people.
The NHS advises that all vaccines are suitable for most people and there is specific advice for the under 30s, women who are or may become and some people who have severe allergies or medical conditions.
Julia Gregory - Local Democracy Reporter
May 11, 2021