There are several Covid vaccine clinics near London Met's campuses, including walk-in options.
Local vaccination centres:
- Information on Tower Hamlets' vaccination centres, including walk-ins, is found on their website.
- Information on Islington's vaccination centres, including pop-up vaccine clinics, is found on their website. As of November 2021, this includes a new clinic on Holloway Road.
- Information on Hackney's vaccination centres, including walk-ins, is found on their website.
- Information on Camden's vaccination centres, including walk-ins, is found on their website.
Why get vaccinated?
There are now three safe vaccines which will protect you from coronavirus, available free of charge from the NHS.
They’ve been through rigorous clinical trials, tested on hundreds of thousands of people worldwide and have been approved by the British Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Hundreds of millions of people around the world have now safely received a vaccine.
Getting vaccinated significantly reduces the risk of death or serious illness from the Covid-19 virus.
Data from the ONS indicates that of the 51,281 deaths involving Covid recorded in England in the first half of the year, only 256 were in double vaccinated people and the majority of these 'breakthrough' deaths were in people aged 84 and over. In other words, for every 200 deaths from Covid, only one is from someone double vaccinated and they are likely to be aged 84 and over.
In addition, research published in Lancet Infectious Diseases shows that the risk of long COVID halves after double vaccination.
Covid-19 vaccination FAQs for students (provided by the NHS on 18 June 2021)
The COVID-19 vaccination is being offered to everyone aged 18 or over at local sites run by GPs or community pharmacies, at larger vaccination centres and in some hospitals. Local areas may also work with partners to set up “pop up” temporary clinics at locations convenient for students to access, for example, on university campuses.
Students registered with a GP can book their appointment at a larger vaccination centre, a community pharmacy run site or at some GP run sites through the National Booking Service website or by phoning 119. Those who are registered with a GP will also receive an invitation to be vaccinated from their GP practice.
While registration with a GP is encouraged to access the vaccine, individuals can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice. GP practices should support unregistered patients and those without an NHS number to access the vaccine; they can record these vaccinations and be paid for them.
Some students may have already received their vaccinations if they are at higher risk of COVID-19, are on a placement as a frontline health or care worker, are an unpaid carer, or are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed.
If a student aged 18 or over is registered with a GP practice, they can book both appointments online through the National Booking Service at a location that is convenient to them, or book a first dose through their GP and a second dose in a different location through the National Booking Service.
The NHS has published FAQs on Second Doses in general here.
In general, patients should return to the place they had their first dose to have their second dose. However, it is appropriate for students to receive their second dose in a different location to their first dose due to their circumstances.
The National Booking Service has an option to book or re-arrange the second vaccination appointment at a different location to the first appointment.
If a student had a first dose in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, but is in England at the time of their second dose, they should either 1) book a second dose through the National Booking Service (if they are registered with a GP in England and therefore have an English NHS number); 2) register with a GP in England and book an appointment that way; or 3) approach a local GP and ask to be vaccinated as an unregistered patient.
The NHS in England is working with the NHS in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales to ensure that records of vaccinations in those nations flow into a patient’s English NHS record.
All adults in the UK aged 18 or over should be offered their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by 19 July 2021.
Anyone who starts working in the NHS or in social care and has not been vaccinated should be offered the vaccination through occupational health departments or be aware of where they can access the vaccination through their employer.
The second dose should not be brought forward in these circumstances.
The student should contact the health service in the country where they are resident at the time the second dose is due.
Students should be directed to nhs.uk/covid-vaccination for more information about the COVID-19 vaccination.
Anybody aged 18 or over in the UK is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccination for free, regardless of their nationality or immigration status.
Nobody in England has to pay for the COVID-19 vaccination. The COVID-19 vaccination is free of charge and does not count as the kind of care that requires payment. International students or anyone seeing requests for payment should report this activity to their university institution and to Action Fraud. More information on COVID-19 vaccine scams is on the Action Fraud website here.
While registration with a GP is encouraged to access the vaccine, individuals can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.
International students can approach their local GP practice, saying they would like to register for the purposes of receiving the vaccine.
Anyone in England is eligible for the vaccine if they fall within the current eligibility criteria set out by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and should come forward once it is their turn.
International students should be encouraged to register with a GP and get an NHS number.
An NHS number can be found on any letter the NHS has sent you, on a prescription, or by logging in to a GP practice online service.
You can also find an NHS number using this tool. It is possible to request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient by approaching a local GP practice.
While registration with a GP is encouraged to access the vaccine, individuals can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice. Students can be directed to nhs.uk/register for more information on GP registration.
Students who are not registered with a GP will not be proactively contacted by a local NHS service. We encourage all students to register with a GP and they can be directed to www.nhs.uk/register for more information.
However, international students can book their vaccination appointments via the National Booking Service with their NHS number if they have previously received NHS treatment. You can also find an NHS number using this tool.
If a person has received a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine overseas that is also available in the UK, they should receive the same vaccine for their second dose. If the vaccine they received for their first dose is not available in the UK, the most similar alternative should be offered as per the advice here (see sections on vaccine interchangeability guidance).
The student should contact a GP to ensure they receive an appropriate vaccine for their second dose.
Students should be directed to nhs.uk/covid-vaccination for more information about the Covid-19 vaccine. Students should be directed to www.gov.uk for information on COVID restrictions.
In the UK, you can now be vaccinated within three months of your eighteenth birthday, as part of the government’s efforts to ensure good uptake of vaccine in newly-turned 18 year olds.
Young people aged 16 to 17 years of age who are at higher risk of serious Covid-19 can also access the vaccine.