The RCR strongly supports the UK government coronavirus vaccination programme. We encourage all Fellows and members to be vaccinated as soon as a vaccine is available for staff in your area. Please encourage your clinical teams, patients and members of the public to be vaccinated.
This is a rapidly changing field so please see the latest information about the government COVID-19 vaccination programme and other useful links such as:
- The Public Health England (PHE) guide for healthcare professionals about the vaccination programme
- The Green Book – a PHE guide to vaccines and vaccinations. A new chapter on COVID-19 contains information on the Pfizer and Oxford/AZ vaccines. This includes data on efficacy and safety.
- Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency information about the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, inlcuding the Summary of Product Characteristics and information for UK vaccine recipients.
People who are immunosuppressed, including those having anti-cancer therapies (chemotherapy, immunotherapy etc.) may not make a full antibody response to the vaccines which therefore might be less effective. They should therefore continue to follow advice to avoid exposure unless they are advised otherwise by their doctor. The Pfizer and Oxford/AZ vaccines are safe to administer to people who are immunosuppressed (see the Green Book p13)
See further information and resources about COVID-19 vaccination