Sutton Council and NHS South West London CCG to host a COVID-19 vaccination webinar for parents and carers of 12 to 15s

The webinar and Q&A session is scheduled for Wednesday 10 November from 6.30pm to 7.30pm and has been organised by Sutton Council and NHS South West London CCG, in partnership with Hounslow and Richmond Community Trust (providers of the School Immunisation team in Sutton).

Parents and carers of 12 to 15 year olds, whether they are in school or educated at home, will be able to ask questions about the vaccination programme. An expert panel will be on hand, including representatives from the School Immunisation team, Sutton GPs, Sutton Council’s Strategic Director for Public Health, Sutton Borough’s Chief Pharmacist and the South West London Programme Director, COVID-19 and Flu Vaccinations, NHS South West London Clinical Commissioning Group.

All children aged 12 to 15 are being offered one dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine through their schools. Parents can use the National Booking Service to organise a young person’s jab or use the ongoing schools programme. Walk-in centres are also offering vaccinations to 12-15 year olds to get their jab. Parents can check the ‘Grab-a-Jab’ website to find the nearest walk in centre. Information about vaccination sites in south west London can be found here.

Dr Imran Choudhury, Strategic Director for Public Health at Sutton Council said; “Sutton has recently seen a sharp increase in Covid infections amongst 10-16 year olds and it is vital that we tackle this - getting school students vaccinated is a major step. Having the vaccine is the best protection against getting the virus and helps to reduce transmission, especially amongst those in the school community and prevent serious illness in those who are particularly vulnerable. We understand that some parents may want more information to understand the vaccination process for their children. This webinar offers the opportunity to give them the information needed for them to make that informed decision.”

Dr Michael Pambos, Joint PCN Clinical Director - Central Sutton, Accountable Officer Covid Vaccination Programme – Sutton said: “It’s really important that we vaccinate our young people against Covid-19.  Having the vaccine helps to protect young people from Covid-19, reduce outbreaks that occur in school and helps protect friends and family, and vulnerable members of our communities, from the virus. Serious illness from Covid-19 in young people is rare – but young people can suffer from long Covid which can be very debilitating and take a long time to recover from.  We want parents to have the opportunity to ask questions and understand more about  the vaccine to help them make informed choices with their children.”

Parents and carers must register to attend the event.

The webinar will be recorded and uploaded onto Sutton Council’s and NHS South West London CCG’s websites and be publicly available to view after the event.