Adults in West Midlands to receive text or call from NHS over vaccine status
All adults across the West Midlands who haven't had their Covid-19 jabs are set to receive a call or a text message from the NHS.
The health service is contacting people to keep vaccine records up to date – and ensure people across the region can get a jab.
It has led to calls from leaders in the Black Country and West Birmingham who have urged residents in the region to respond.
Dr Masood Ahmed, chief medical officer for Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "Anyone whose records show that they haven’t yet had the lifesaving Covid-19 vaccine will receive a text message or call from the local NHS from today. This is to help keep our records up to date and identify those who would like to receive the vaccine but may have questions or need some help to access it.
"Our aim is to ensure that everyone has an equal opportunity to get protected, and the four options will help give a clearer picture on why some people haven’t taken up their first dose yet, and allow us to address this.
"We want to encourage as many people as possible to come forward for their lifesaving vaccine, to not only protect themselves but also their loved ones and the wider community, so I urge everyone to reply when the text pings on their phone or to answer the phone when it rings."
People who receive a text will be given four options to reply: BOOK, if they want to make an appointment, STOP if they don't want the vaccine, HELP if they have questions or would like to discuss the vaccine, or HAD if they've been vaccinated recently or are booked in.
If people reply with HELP or BOOK, the NHS will call them back. People should not receive a text message if they have already been vaccinated and this has been recorded. The text message will be sent by a GP practice to the phone number they have listed.
