The NHS is currently offering the Covid-19 vaccine to people most at risk from the virus. St George’s is one of 50 hospital hubs across the country that is administering the vaccine to the priority groups.

The Covid-19 vaccine is safe and effective. It gives you the best protection against the virus.

The NHS will let you know when it is your turn to have the vaccine. It is important not to contact the NHS or St George’s for a vaccination before then. Please wait to be contacted.

We are currently in the process of contacting eligible patients, to offer them the opportunity to book their Covid-19 vaccine.

We have also sent text messages to a small number of people. These text messages are from the Trust, and sent from a number ending 1215. They read as follows:

Dear [NAME], if you would like to have the Covid-19 vaccine at St Georges Hospital Tooting please reply ATTEND to this message and a member of the team will call you to arrange this. The number they are calling from may be withheld or unknown. If you have already had the vaccine or do not want to hear from us again please reply CANCEL. Please respond within the next 24 hours. Responses after this time will not be captured. Thank you.

If you or a family member receives this text, please reply as instructed to book an appointment slot at the St George’s Covid-19 vaccine clinic.

The vaccine will be offered more widely, and at other locations, as soon as possible. The order in which people will be offered the vaccine is based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

Meanwhile, we must all continue to adhere to the local tier restriction rules and remember hands, face, space – please visit the Gov.uk website for more information on the national guidelines.

Find out more about the Covid-19 vaccination programme on the NHS England website.