What are Vaccines?

• Vaccines reduce the spread of infectious diseases and even get rid of some altogether. Vaccination is the most important thing you can do to protect your community against serious illnesses 

• When enough people get vaccinated, it’s harder for a disease to spread to those who can’t have vaccines.

• Vaccines are designed to prevent people from getting serious infectious diseases. It is much safer for your immune system to learn how to fight illnesses through vaccination than by catching and treating them.

• Vaccines go through several stages of lab tests and clinical trials before they can be approved for use. Regulators review the results of these trials to check whether a vaccine meets the required levels of safety and effectiveness.

• After any vaccine is licensed for use in the UK, it is monitored by the @MHRAgovuk. This is an important part of making sure vaccines continue to meet safety standards on an ongoing basis.

You can access the Government’s Vaccine Delivery Plan here. (pdf)

Having an effective COVID-19 vaccine is the best way for people to protect themselves from the virus, saving tens of thousands of lives. While people understandably have questions about vaccine development, there have been a number of viral social media posts that make false claims about potentially life saving vaccines. False information has been shared about the ingredients or processes used to make vaccines, including absurd claims that vaccines contain 5G microchips. These claims have all been independently debunked. If you see information about vaccines, always check the NHS website for the facts.

Vaccines reduce the spread of infectious diseases and even get rid of some altogether.

Since they were introduced, serious conditions like polio and tetanus have become very rare in the UK.

Vaccination is the most important thing you can do to protect your community against serious illnesses Syringe.

When enough people get vaccinated, it’s harder for a disease to spread to those who can’t have vaccines.

Vaccines are the best way to protect children from serious infectious diseases like measles, mumps and rubella. 

All vaccines are tested and monitored to make sure they are safe for your child Child.

Vaccines are designed to prevent people from getting serious infectious diseases.

It is much safer for your immune system to learn how to fight illnesses through vaccination than by catching and treating them.

Vaccines go through several stages of lab tests and clinical trials before they can be approved for use.

Regulators review the results of these trials to check whether a vaccine meets the required levels of safety and effectiveness.

After any vaccine is licensed for use in the UK, it is monitored by the @MHRAgovuk.

This is an important part of making sure vaccines continue to meet safety standards on an ongoing basis.

Vaccines are a crucial part of our defence against serious infectious diseases.

Dr Amir Khan answering ‘Do vaccines contain pork products?

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam: How are Covid Vaccines being developed?

Languages: Translated COVID-19 Guidance.

British Sign Language:

• SignHealth and BTM Projects have produced coronavirus information videos in British Sign Language.
• NHS Leicester City have produced a series of videos about coronavirus in British Sign Language.
• Example video clip: COVID-19 vaccination: guide for older adults in BSL, (NHS, Public Health England)
  

Tackling Misinformation:

Use SHARE Checklist

Below is some sample mis and disinformation newsletter copy:

• ‘Before you like, comment or share content online, use the SHARE checklist to make sure you’re not contributing to the spread of harmful content.’
• ‘False information, when shared, can take on a life of its own and have serious consequences. Recently there has been a lot of false information about coronavirus and the new vaccines designed to tackle it. It’s not always easy to spot. 
• The SHARE checklist is an easy tool to pass on to people in your community to help them know what to look out for before they like, comment or share information they come across online.’

Tackling Misinformation: Next steps

DCMS is working with the National Resilience Hub at the Cabinet Office and the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and their Community Champions scheme to develop a social media toolkit targeted at groups particularly vulnerable to mis and disinformation about the vaccine (BAME, Jewish Orthodox, Gypsy and Traveller communities). 

These assets will be pushed out by trusted community leaders and health professionals representing these groups on channels commonly used to spread false information including WhatsApp, private Facebook groups and forums as well as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. 

This will be ready to share in the coming weeks.

Key messages on COVID-19 Vaccine Scams

Remember, the vaccine is only available on the NHS and is free of charge. The NHS will never ask you for details about your bank account or to pay for the vaccine. If you receive an email, text message or phone call purporting to be from the NHS and you are asked to provide financial details, this is a scam.

• The NHS will never ask you for your bank account or card details.
• The NHS will never ask you for your PIN or banking password.
• The NHS will never arrive unannounced at your home to administer the vaccine.
• The NHS will never ask you to prove your identity by sending copies of personal documents such as your passport, driving licence, bills or pay slips.

If you believe you are the victim of a fraud, please report this to Action Fraud as soon as possible by calling 0300 123 2040 or visiting www.actionfraud.police.uk.