Lewisham Councillor urges people not to contact GPs for Covid vaccine

By Grainne Cuffe, Local Democracy Reporter

The Covid-19 vaccine roll-out will be slowed down if people ring their GPs asking for it, Lewisham’s cabinet member for health and adult social care has warned.  

By January 17 around 80,000 jabs had been delivered across south east London.  

There are several vaccination centres open across Lewisham.  

By mid-February the Government aims to have offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top priority groups. 

This covers all residents in care homes for older adults and their carers, all those over 70, frontline health and social care workers, and clinically extremely vulnerable people. 

At a meeting of full council on Wednesday (January 20), Councillor Chris Best, also deputy mayor, asked that residents follow the rules and wait to be called for the vaccine.  

She said: “It’s really important that residents wait to be contacted by their GP or NHS England to arrange an appointment to receive the vaccine.  

“They should not contact their practice to ask for the Covid-19 vaccination until called – this will slow down the roll-out of the vaccine.  

“Anyone who is registered with a GP will be contacted when it is their turn to receive the vaccine in line with the list of priority groups.  

“The NHS is also putting plans in place to identify those residents who may not be registered with a GP, including those that are homeless, in order to ensure that they are able to receive the vaccine at this appropriate time.  

“Anyone who knows people who aren’t registered with a GP – please encourage them to do so.