COVID 19 NASAL VACCINES

[SSyoz]

I currently work an a nurse in the community supporting uptake of COvid19 vaccinations for adults with a learning disability. Please can you inform if there is any information relating to the availability of the COvid19 nasal vaccine . This will be a way forward to support individuals who have a phobia of needles. Please can support with any up to date information if there is a ongoing development of the nasal therapy.

[SpeedyH]

There is currently no nasal covid vaccination. Scientists at a couple of universities have developed one including Lancaster Uni who are struggling to get funding from the government for clinical trials. The Department for Health and Social Care is supposedly supporting an Imperial College London trial to investigate nasal Covid-19 vaccines which is due to report in August this year. Even if the trials are successful it will be a long time, if ever, that the vaccine becomes available in this form, especially if it is decided that children don’t need to be vaccinated. At the moment, LD nurses in the community are mainly supporting individuals through desensitisation strategies, appropriate adjustments to the vaccination environment, sedation, easy read information and so on.

[Sarah_Mencap]

Hello SSyoz

SpeedyH has pretty much said it all in their reply. There is no nasal coronavirus vaccination at the moment.

There is an NHS guide here that asks about nasal sprays (mencap.org.uk/sites/default...

It says:

Currently, the only effective route of the vaccine delivery is an injection and

no alternative routes of vaccine delivery have been developed for the

approved vaccines.

It is important that all clinically vulnerable patients are protected although

every individual case will need to be considered separately and a clinical

decision made by the responsible clinician who is familiar with the patient and

has done an appropriate risk assessment. We continue to consider very

carefully what the appropriate reasonable adjustments may be in these cases

and will share this information when we are able to.

It is possible to ask for reasonable adjustments when you have the vaccination, but there is no alternative to the injection.

Here is the Easy Read guide about how to ask for extra support (reasonable adjustments) when having your vaccine - mencap.org.uk/sites/default...

There is also some information for primary care staff, including GPs, to support people with a learning disability to access the coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine here - mencap.org.uk/advice-and-su...

Finally, here is a link to our main vaccine page which has lots of information - mencap.org.uk/coronavirus/c...

I hope this helps a little.

Best wishes

Sarah

[Emilysimmons180894]

I have a phobia of needles and I have always have massive meltdowns and shutdowns when I have to have one