New overseas COVID-19 vaccination recording service rolled out

A new NHS service which captures evidence of COVID-19 vaccinations that have been administered abroad is now being rolled out in Lancashire.

The service, which can be accessed by all residents in Lancashire and South Cumbria, works by recording the data in the National Immunisation Management System (NIMS), which updates the NHS COVID-19 Pass.

Following a successful pilot, the service is now live and is available from vaccination centres in Lancaster, Preston and Burnley.

The service will record vaccines administered overseas which are the same vaccine types used in England, as approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), including:

• Oxford/AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria)
• Pfizer/BioNTech (Comirnaty)
• Johnson & Johnson (Janssen)
• Moderna (Spikevax)
• Institute of India (Covishield)
• Bharat Biotech (Covaxin)
• SinoVac (CoronaVac)
• Beijing Institute of Biological Products (Sinopharm BIBP)

Available via www.healthierlsc.co.uk/overseasvac or by calling 119, eligible people can book a face-to-face appointment at their convenience to have their records updated.

Jane Scattergood, lead clinician for the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Lancashire and South Cumbria, said:

“We are delighted to welcome the roll-out of this new service in our region which will allow those who were vaccinated overseas to have their NHS medical records securely updated.

This update provides another avenue for people to make sure their vaccine status is recorded correctly, regardless of the country they were vaccinated in. Summer is fast approaching, and a fully up-to-date vaccine record will allow easy access to COVID-19 passports to help when travelling.

Anyone who cannot get their overseas COVID-19 vaccination recorded is still eligible for and can still access subsequent doses of a vaccine by attending a walk-in vaccination site.”

Further information on the specific locations offering the service, and details of what is required as evidence to enable the records to be updated, will be provided at the time of appointment booking and confirmation.

Support is also available over the telephone via 119 to signpost to the service, or to assist with bookings.

Please note that face-to-face appointments are necessary to ensure that evidence is validated against photographic identification.

Check your COVID-19 vaccine record at: https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/online-services/vaccine-record/

Further support on the NHS COVID-19 Pass is available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/nhs-covid-pass/

Find a walk-in COVID-19 vaccination site at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/find-a-walk-in-coronavirus-covid-19-vaccination-site/