SHAPE and BRUSSELS COVID Vaccine Update – British Clinic
The news of UK vaccine supply to our MoD population in Europe was mentioned to many of you last week. I wanted to update you on the plans which will follow for those of us living here in Belgium.
What next? Supplies for our ‘Phase 1 groups’ are expected to be delivered very soon from PHE to MoD’s logisticians in the UK. From there we will see a delivery direct into SHAPE and will immediately be able to begin our clinics in SHAPE and Brussels, calling forward those who are over 50 or vulnerable to COVID first. We will also be including some of our FCDO colleagues and other Defence personnel living in Belgium and France, broadly in line with the UK’s impressive pace of roll-out.
We are setting things up for a smooth delivery so you do not need to call ahead for appointments. Instead we will reach out as clinics and vaccine become available.
It is worth mentioning that, alongside the UK offer, we remain free to accept vaccines offered by our host nation, provided they are UK-regulated and that your medical practice is informed. I can see that the Belgian authorities plan to provide vaccines to SHAPians. My advice is that if you are over 50 or vulnerable to COVID you do not need to register as you will receive a vaccine very soon from the UK clinic. If you are under 50 and wish to register for the SHAPE offer, you are welcome to do so. We will obtain a UK supply for all groups but I cannot offer certainty on the timeframe quite yet – and we have confirmed that it will be possible to review your registration at any time. I will update as soon as we know any more.