It is very Important that you attend the TB Screening!

 Overview

Tuberculosis (TB) is a bacterial infection spread through inhaling tiny droplets from the coughs or sneezes of an infected person.

It mainly affects the lungs, but it can affect any part of the body, including the tummy (abdomen), glands, bones and nervous system.

TB is a potentially serious condition, but it can be cured if it’s treated with the right antibiotics.

You’ll need to have a tuberculosis (TB) test if you’re coming to the UK for more than 6 months!

• as part of your TB screening if you’ve just moved to the UK from a country where TB is common

• as part of a health check when you register with a GP

The interferon gamma release assay (IGRA) is a blood test for TB that’s becoming more widely available.

The IGRA may be used to help diagnose latent TB:

Winter Vaccinations-  Key messages

• Government research suggests that people from the BAME community may be at more risk of ill health if they catch COVID-19 than white British people.*

• Vaccines are our best protection this winter

• Its easy to pass on COVID-19 or Flu virus to others without knowing

• If you get flu and COVID-19 at the same time, research shows you’re more likely to be seriously ill

• COVID-19 and flu are two important vaccines that you will need to protect yourself and your loved ones this winter.

• If you’ve had COVID-19, it’s safe to have the flu vaccine. It will still be effective at helping to prevent flu.

• You can have the flu vaccine at your GP surgery, at a local pharmacy or your midwifery service if you’re pregnant.

• If you are offered both vaccines, it’s safe to have them at the same time.

Free Flu Vaccinations

• If you are; 50 and over (including those who’ll be 50 by 31 March 2022)

• have certain health conditions

• are pregnant

• are in long-stay residential care

• receive a carer’s allowance, or are the main carer for an older or disabled person who may be at risk if you get sick

• live with someone who is more likely to get infections (such as someone who has HIV, has had a transplant or is having certain treatments for cancer, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis)

• frontline health or social care workers

• Please follow this link for information on children’s Flu vaccines https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/child-flu-vaccine/

COVID -19 and Booster Vaccinations

• • COVID-19 vaccines can help protect you and your family and help stop the spread of the virus.

  • People aged 17 years 9 months and over can get two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from your GP or vaccination centre.

  • People aged 16-17 will be offered one dose of the vaccine unless they are clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) or in a COVID at risk group.

  • 12-15 year olds who are clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) or in a COVID at risk group will be invited to book an appointment at vaccination centre for two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

  • 12–15 year olds who are not CEV or in a COVID-19 at risk group will be offered one dose of the vaccine by the School Aged Immunisation Service as part of the schools immunisation programme. For further information about this programme, please contact the service on 0151 514 2510. Alternatively, an appointment can be booked at the Clatterbridge Vaccination Centre or Birkenhead Medical Building via the national booking service:  https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/

  • Booster vaccine doses are available on the NHS for all adults over 50 years and for people most at risk from COVID-19 who have already had 2 doses of a vaccine, from 182 days after the second dose.

  • Walk in appointments are available at these venues: (see link) https://www.wirralccg.nhs.uk/CovidVaccineWalkIn

Please contact the WMO for more information or support to book or access an appointment to get your vaccination

Tel 0151 792 5116   info@wmo.org.uk

Changes to international travel rules

From 4am Monday 4 October 2021, the rules for international travel to England will change from the red, amber, green traffic light system to a single red list of countries and simplified travel measures for arrivals from the rest of the world. The rules for travel from countries and territories not on the red list will depend on your vaccination status.

Travel from the rest of the world if you are fully vaccinated

From 4am Monday 4 October, if you have been fully vaccinated for at least 14 days:

• under an approved vaccination program in the UK, Europe, US or UK vaccine programme overseas
• with a full course of the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna or Janssen vaccines from a relevant public health body in Australia, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Bahrain, Brunei, Canada, Dominica, Israel, Japan, Kuwait, Malaysia, New Zealand, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea or Taiwan – mixing between two-dose vaccines (Oxford/AstraZeneca, Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna) in this list is also recognised
• under a formally approved COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial in the US, Canada and Australia and have a proof of participation (digital or paper-based) from a public health body

You must:

• book and pay for a day 2 COVID-19 test– to be taken after arrival in England
• complete your passenger locator form – any time in the 48 hours before you arrive in England
• take a COVID-19 test on or before day 2 after you arrive in England

You do not need to:

• take a pre-departure test
• take a day 8 COVID-19 test
• quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days after you arrive in England

You must be able to prove that you have been fully vaccinated (plus 14 days) with a document (digital or paper-based) from a national or state-level public health body that includes, as a minimum:

• forename and surname(s)
• date of birth
• vaccine brand and manufacturer
• date of vaccination for every dose
• country or territory of vaccination and/or certificate issuer

If your document from a public health body does not include all of these, you must follow the non-vaccinated rules. If not, you may be denied boarding.

COVID BOOSTER VACCINATIONS

The NHS will be offering booster vaccine doses (from next week) to people most at risk of COVID and who have had their first two vaccines – GPs will be contacting eligible people to let know when they should have the vaccine.

Eligibility

• care home residents
• Health and social care workers
• Over 50s
• 16-49 yrs. old with underlying health conditions
• Adult carers
• Households with immunosuppressed people
• Other people at risk ( clinical discretion )

Children aged 12-15 years  – COVID Vaccine Approved:

The government has also announced that children 12 – 15 year will also be offered one dose of the Pfizer vaccine from Monday, 20^th September 2021

Flu Eligibility

those eligible for NHS influenza vaccination in 2021 to 2022 are:

• all children aged 2 to 15 (but not 16 years or older) on 31 August 2021
• those aged 6 months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups
• pregnant women
• those aged 50 years and over
• those in long-stay residential care homes
• carers
• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals
• frontline health and social care staff employed by:
• a registered residential care or nursing home
• registered domiciliary care provider of a voluntary managed hospice provider of Direct Payment (personal budgets)
  • and/or

Personal Health Budgets, such as Personal Assistants.