GP SURGERIES across north and mid Hampshire are now beginning to call the next group of patients for their Covid vaccinations.

The vaccination team in the region, which is being run by the North Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group, have started to call patients between the ages of 65 and 69 - which are in the fifth cohort.

The news was announced by Watership Down Health, which operates surgeries in Kingsclere, Overton and Oakley, but with the primary care networks across the region working in sync, this is now believed to be happening across the region.

The team's lead vaccination hub is at the Hampshire Court Hotel in Basingstoke, but there are seven other vaccination sites in the region, including Basingstoke, Andover and Winchester hospitals, Basingstoke Fire Station, The Lights in Andover, Winchester's Holiday Inn and Basingstoke's Superdrug pharmacy.

Watership Down, which was voted the best GP surgery in north Hampshire last July, said on Facebook that patients in the correct cohort will receive a text from the practice enabling them to make an appointment at the Hampshire Court Hotel.

"For those with no mobile phone number, we or the Call Handlers at the Covid Vaccination Hub will telephone all remaining patients," the spokesperson continued. "You will not be missed.

"As the number of venues to have Covid vaccinations increases, please do let us know if you have the vaccine or an appointment elsewhere. This is best done via our website.

"After three attempts to call a patient, we will then write to the address that we have on file. If you have moved or are planning to get the vaccine elsewhere, then please let us know.

"If you are outside this cohort and receive any suspicious texts, then please do not respond to them. The NHS vaccinations are free."

Over 70s urged to get in contact

Yesterday, health secretary Matt Hancock announced that anyone in one of the top four priority groups - those aged 70 and over or who are clinically extremely vulnerable - should get in touch with the NHS to book an appointment.

The health service in England has changed its messaging from “we will contact you” to “contact us” for those over the age of 70.

It comes as the Government is just days away from saying whether or not it has met its target for offering all people in the top four priority groups the Covid jab before the middle of February.

Those in the top four groups can book at appointment at nhs.uk/covid-vaccination, call 119 or get in touch with their GP surgery.

However, those aged between 65 and 69 are asked not to proactively get in touch, and wait for their GP to contact them.

High take-up

The Gazette reported last week how Hampshire and the Isle of Wight has one of the highest proportions in terms of adults over the age of 80 receiving at least one dose in the country.

The latest data, valid until January 31, shows that in the two counties, almost 93 per cent of people aged 80 or over have had at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, whilst for people aged 75 to 79, the number stands at 86.2 per cent.

For people aged between 70 and 75, 19.5 per cent have received their first dose, although that is likely to have increased since the statistics were released.

What is the JCVI priority list?

The first nine groups prioritised for a Covid vaccine is:

  1. residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
  2. all those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
  3. all those 75 years of age and over
  4. all those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
  5. all those 65 years of age and over
  6. all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
  7. all those 60 years of age and over
  8. all those 55 years of age and over
  9. all those 50 years of age and over