Lincolnshire Showground overseas desk helps transfer vaccine data over for jabs abroad

The Lincolnshire Showground has been busy offering COVID-19 vaccinations for people across the county, and the introduction of the overseas desk has allowed for anyone who was jabbed in a different country to be eligible for COVID passes.

The overseas desk was introduced towards the end of 2021 for people who were vaccinated in another country, ensuring the their documentation is in order and the jab they received is eligible in the UK.

The jabs must have been one of the four recognised approved vaccines for this country, whether that be Moderna, Pfizer, AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson.

It is available to anyone over 18 and is open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the Mass Vaccination Centre between 2.30pm and 4.30pm, with a team of dedicated staff and volunteers to help answer any questions you may have.

Julie Humphreys is the head of clinical services for NHS Lincolnshire CCG at the vaccination site. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Julie Humphreys, head of clinical services at the vaccine site, told The Lincolnite: “We were the first in the Midlands region to have an overseas desk, and we’ve had people travelling from all over the country for it.

“We are currently doing around 150 appointments a week, overseen by clinical leads, but we have capacity to do more depending on how much uptake is required.”

| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Anyone who attends the overseas desk will need their NHS number and to be registered with a GP in England, before they are assessed for potential further doses of the vaccine based on eligibility.

If documentation is in order and they have had one of the approved vaccines, the staff will transfer data across to the person’s NHS information and ensure these vaccinations are visible on COVID passes.

A team of staff are on hand at the Lincolnshire Showground to help with any queries or concerns you may have. | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

If you were vaccinated abroad and need your records updating to make the doses eligible in this country, you can book an appointment via the National Booking System.

The Lincolnshire Showground Mass Vaccination Centre celebrated its first birthday on Wednesday, marking one year of COVID-19 jabs at the site.

Happy birthday to the Lincolnshire Showground Mass Vaccination Centre! | Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Over 225,000 jabs have been administered at the showground so far across all cohorts, and the NHS is preparing to send invitations for first doses to the highest risk 5-11-year-olds from next week.