COVID-19 vaccines
Vaccine eligibility and walk-in sites
As information on walk-in sites and the vaccine changes rapidly, check the NHS BLMK CCG website regularly as they provide us with the latest information on:
- those eligible for boosters
- finding the nearest walk-in site to your home, including pharmacies
- booking vaccine appointments
Can’t get to the vaccination sites? Then try our FREE Vaxi Cab service. Details on how to book and the numbers to call are at the bottom of this page.
Reasons to still get the vaccine
Please find five reasons to still get the vaccine in different languages below.
- Reasons for a vaccination (Albanian)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Bengali)
- Reasons for a vaccination (English)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Gujarati)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Indian Punjabi)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Lithuanian)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Polish)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Romanian)
- Reasons for a vaccination (Urdu)
Have you booked your COVID-19 vaccination or plan to attend one of Luton's vaccination walk-up sites but find the cost of travel a barrier to attending?
We know that the cost of travel can be a barrier to getting vaccinated. In an effort to improve vaccination uptake among the residents of Luton it is now possible to book a FREE taxi to and/or from your vaccination appointment or walk-in site.
Below are a list of COVID-secure vehicles which can seat up to five people allowing you and your household to go safely to any of the vaccination sites in Luton.
How does it work?
Step 1: Book your vaccination appointment or decide which walk-in site you would like to attend.
Step 2: Contact any of the registered Hackney Cabs from the list below. Let them know that you would like to book a taxi to attend your vaccination appointment or walk-in site. Let them know where you are being picked up and dropped off (pick up or drop off location must be your selected vaccination site) and the time you would like to be picked up.
Step 3: You will not be asked to pay anything as long as you are going to and/or from the vaccination sites and from and/or to a residential home in Luton.
Step 4: Join the community in protecting yourself and others from Coronavirus by getting vaccinated!
Choose from the list of registered vaxi taxis below:
- A to B Group, 01582 733333
- Mr A Rauf, 07944105288
The coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines are safe and effective. They give you the best protection against coronavirus.
The latest data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) shows that getting a booster is 89% effective in preventing hospitalisation from COVID-19 from 2 weeks after it is administered and is 65 to 75% effective against symptomatic infection from Omicron.
The COVID-19 vaccination will reduce the chance of you suffering from the disease. It may take a few weeks for your body to build up protection from the vaccine.
Like all medicines, no vaccine is completely effective – some people may still get COVID-19 despite having a vaccination, but this should be less severe.
For more information, please see
For information on current vaccine eligibility and to book your NHS COVID-19 vaccination please visit Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines - NHS (www.nhs.uk).
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and offer the best protection from becoming seriously ill.
The vaccines have been shown to be effective and no safety concerns were seen in studies of more than 20,000 people.
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 before they can be rollout out.
The UK regulator confirms that people should continue to receive the COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca, following suspensions by some countries over suspected blood clots. The MHRA confirms that the benefits of the vaccine in preventing COVID-19 far outweigh the risks.
Read the government response regarding the AstraZeneca vaccine.
See independent monitoring data confirms safety of Covid-19 vaccines: British Society of Immunology resources - public engagement resources
You can get vaccinated against COVID-19 if you're aged 18 or over and you're:
- you're pregnant or think you might be
- breastfeeding
- trying for a baby or might get pregnant in the near future
Read more: Pregnancy, breastfeeding, fertility and coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination (NHS)
Videos
- COVID-19 vaccine guide for women of childbearing age or are planning a pregnancy
- British society of immunology - Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect my fertility?
Fertility
There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccinations affect fertility or your ability to have children in the future
- Can the COVID-19 vaccines affect my fertility?
- COVID-19 vaccine guide for women of childbearing age or are planning a pregnancy
- Everything you need to know about pregnancy and fertility
More guidance
We recently hosted a COVID-19 vaccine webinar in partnership with the NHS to answer any questions or doubts about the Covid-19 vaccine.
You can now watch a recording of the COVID-19 vaccine webinar.
One of the panellists Dr David Palmer, Professor of Immunology in Comparative Biomedical Sciences co-authored a vaccine fact sheet (which you can download) and has suggested some useful films about the vaccine.
- Covid-19 Q&A for the British Society for Immunology
- Immunology of COVID-19 vaccines: webinar for healthcare workers to engage with ethnic minority communities
- Vaccine confidence support programme
- Jamaican diaspora UK health webinar – Covid-19 commissioned by Vaccines Equality Programme, NHS England designed to support vaccine confidence within African and Caribbean communities
Covid-19 vaccines will always be available free of charge. The NHS will never ask you to share bank details to confirm your identity or pay for a vaccine.
There's a lot of dangerous misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines. Please get your information from official sources. We’ve added a list of resources below and further information in the next pane.
Messages from NHS London - doctors, nurses and other frontline staff have come forward to help reassure communities that COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective and have been independently tested to the highest standards.
- Commonly asked questions
- More in depth FAQ’s from NHS Bedford, Luton & Milton Keynes Commissioning Groups (BLMK CCG)
- How did we develop a COVID-19 vaccine so quickly?
- How do I know the vaccine is safe?
- Who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in the UK and how are the priority groups decided?
- Why should everyone be encouraged to have the vaccine?
- Should I have the vaccine if I've already had COVID-19?
- If I have an underlying health condition or am immunosuppressed, can I have the COVID-19 vaccine?
- If I have allergies is it still safe to have the COVID-19 vaccine?
- Should I still follow the guidance after I have had two doses of vaccine?
- COVID-19: How important is it to have two doses of the vaccine?
- COVID-19 vaccination: guide for Clinically Extremely Vulnerable and pregnant healthcare staff
Vaccine science
- How do viral vaccines work?
- Why do the COVID-19 vaccines focus on the spike protein?
- How does the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine work?
- Can the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine give me COVID-19 infection?
- What is an mRNA vaccine and how does it work?
- Can the mRNA inside the vaccine change people's DNA or affect their fertility?
- How does the JCVI decide and implement who gets the vaccine?
- Considering the wider determinants of health when rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine
Occupational health
Others
- Anthony Harnden explains how catching the infection has affected him
- Should the COVID-19 vaccines give us hope for the future end of this pandemic?
Health and social care workers
- Resources to support vaccine uptake in adult social care
- Why social care should take up the vaccine
- COVID-19 vaccine FAQs for health and social care workers
- As a GP what would you say to health professionals about having the vaccine?
- If I have the vaccine can I stop wearing my PPE?
- As a GP what would you say to social care workers about having their COVID-19 vaccine?
- Why are frontline healthcare workers one of the first groups to be vaccinated in the UK?
- Why should social care staff and care home workers have the vaccine?
- This video explains the role of the JCVI in informing health departments on how to use the vaccine to protect the most vulnerable.
Minority groups
- Factors influencing COVID-19 vaccine uptake among minority ethnic groups report
- British Asians dispelling COVID vaccine myths
- Do the COVID-19 vaccines contain any pork products?
- How important is it for people from deprived or minority backgrounds to get the vaccine?
Black and Black British
Muslim
- Top 10 questions Imams and scholars get asked about vaccines
- Dr Mohammed Akhtar, NHS clinician and member of British Islamic Medical Association(BIMA): answers a host of questions on COVID Vaccine (15/1/21)
- Ajmal Masroor shares his mother’s experience of getting the vaccine
- Councillor Khtija Malik -Portfolio Holder for Public Health shares a message in Urdu
- Dr Tahir Mehmood talking about the Covid-19 vaccine
- Councillor Mahmood Hussain receiving the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine (in Urdu)
Christianity
Sikhism
- Birmingham GP Dr. Singh shares COVID-19 vaccine advice
Other languages
- Covid vaccine scams in South Asian languages
- Jamia Islamia Ghousia Trust video
- Dr Nighat Arif discusses COVID vaccine in Urdu/Punjabi
- A Pashto/Pukhto message for our elders about getting a COVID Vaccination
- Coronavirus Q&A in 5 south Asian languages (Gujarati, Punjabi, Sylheti, Tamil, Urdu)
- COVID-19 vaccination guide for older adults- available in various languages
- The South Asian foundation- variety of resources
- COVID-19 vaccination guide for older adults- available in various languages
- Local Luton GP Dr Sajid Mehmood talks about vaccine safety in Urdu
- Bedford GP, Dr Floriana Ellis talks about vaccine safety in Romanian - Jan 2021
Easy-read resources
Local leaders and residents share their experience of having the vaccine:
- Luton Leaders dispelling myths about the Covid-19 vaccine
- Councillor Khtija Malik - Portfolio holder for Public Health receiving the Covid-19 vaccine
- Councillor Mahmood Hussain receiving the second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine
- Councillor Javed Hussain encouraging take-up of the vaccine
- Councillor Kashif Choudhry receiving the Covid-19 vaccine
- Luton Covid Community Champion Lorraine Parkinson receiving the Covid-19 vaccine
- Noelette Hanley from the Irish Forum encouraging take-up of the Covid-19 Vaccine
- Joan Bailey from the Holy Cross Church & the Caribbean Lunch Club having the Covid-19 vaccination
- Ishaq Kazi - Luton Council of Mosques - Encouraging take-up of the vaccine
- Imam Mohammed Igbal Awan encouraging take-up of the vaccine
- Mufti Abdul Hannan - Leagrave Hall Mosque encouraging take-up of the vaccine
- Father Kevin - Church of the Holy Ghost encouraging take-up of the vaccine