ONE of Warrington’s vaccination experts has urged residents to accept the offer of a third coronavirus vaccine when it is made.

This comes as the town’s Covid booster vaccination programme begins.

It is scientifically proven that a booster vaccine dose helps to improve your protection against Covid-19 in addition to your first two doses, offering a long-term resistance over becoming seriously ill and hospitalised.

Among those being prioritised at present are the most vulnerable residents who live in care homes and health and social care workers.

Dr Ash Ahluwalia, clinical director and lead for the Stockton Heath vaccination centre, said: “GP practices in Warrington are currently inviting the most vulnerable of our patients to get Covid boosters at our local clinics.

Warrington Guardian:

“Dr Laura Mount has yesterday, Tuesday, been administering booster vaccinations from the vaccination site at Orford Jubilee Hub.

“GP practices in Warrington will contact patients when it is their turn to get a booster vaccination; this will either be via a phone call, a text message or a letter and will explain how to book an appointment.

“If you have received a letter from the NHS with instructions of how to book at one of the mass vaccination sites, then you can do so or you can choose to wait for your GP practice to contact you to book you in.

"Over the next couple of weeks, we will be focusing on protecting our most vulnerable residents who live in care homes and our health and social care workers.

“The booster vaccine can help to prevent our most vulnerable patients becoming seriously ill or needing to go to hospital.

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“If you are eligible and at least 26 weeks has passed since you had your second vaccination, I would urge you to have the third dose of the vaccine when it is offered to maintain protection as we move into the winter months.

“It is also really important to protect yourself from flu as well as Covid-19, and locally we are working really hard to make sure plans are in place for the flu vaccines arriving.”

If you are offered both the coronavirus vaccine and the flu vaccine, it is safe to have them at the same time.

Most people will be offered a booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine or Moderna vaccine.

This means your booster dose may be different from the vaccines you had for your first and second doses.