There has been a wealth of material produced to help promote vaccination take up. We highlight those messages, which we think are most powerful and effective in addressing concerns about vaccination with the following audiences: people concerned about pregnancy and fertility, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities and people concerned with overall vaccine safety.
People concerned about pregnancy and fertility
- Statement from Dr Edward Morris, the President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists:
“There is no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines would cause any impact on women’s fertility. Evidence has not been presented that women who have been vaccinated have gone on to have fertility problems” - Plymouth midwife reassures women the coronavirus vaccine is safe
- Public Health England clarifies whether the mRNA inside the vaccine can change people’s DNA or affect their fertility
- Video: Does the COVID-19 vaccine effect a person’s current or future fertility?
- Care Fact Card for social media use, stating there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine affects your ability to have children
- Leaflet for women of childbearing age, those currently pregnant or breastfeeding
- An information sheet for pregnant women to help them make an informed choice on whether to have the vaccine
- Information on the NHS COVID-19 website states: ‘You do not need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination. The vaccine cannot give you or your baby COVID-19’
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding: Q&A document on COVID-19 vaccination
- The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that pregnant women should be offered the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time as the rest of the population, based on their age and clinical risk group.
- FAQ about fertility and pregnancy
People from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities
- Give Hope to your community in support of the vaccine programme. Leaders of various denominations support their communities by sharing conversations about COVID-19 vaccines
- A group of celebrities, including actors Adil Ray and Meera Syal, cricketeer Moeen Ali, comedian Romesh Ranganathan, politician Sadiq Khan and presenter Konnie Huq have released a video appealing to Black, Asian and ethnic minority communities in the UK to help address hesitancy around the COVID-19 vaccine
- Videos from Dr Amir Khan which clarify that the vaccines do not contain any pork products and explaining why he believes people should get the vaccine.
People concerned with overall vaccine safety
- The latest monitoring data has confirmed the safety of COVID-19 vaccines
- The COVID-19 vaccine has been through three phases of clinical trials to ensure it meets the highest standard of safety and effectiveness
- These fact cards have been created to address many of the issues uppermost in care colleagues’ minds. They include reassuring messages about fertility, allergies, the safety and speed of the national vaccination programme and, of course, the imperative to continue infection control measures, even after vaccination
- The handbook is for everyone who wants to know more about the vaccine, how to talk to others about it, how to challenge misinformation.
- Vaccination without vexation – blog. For those of you yet to be vaccinated, or a little concerned by the prospect, I recommend reading this blog from Ruth Yates of HC-One. She and her care home colleagues describe a very positive experience at the Countess of Chester Hospital.
- NHS England and NHS Improvement has launched a series of animations aimed at tackling vaccine disinformation.