More than 60% of the UK's population is now fully vaccinated as the government continue their rollout of the immunization programme. 

In the midlands alone, 13,663,418 people have had at least one dose of vaccination, with just less than half of that figure being double jabbed. 

Of roughly 592,000 Worcestershire residents, a whopping 86% of those who are currently eligible for the jab have had a minimum of one sitting at their local GP, hospital, or vaccination centre. 

However, some still have concerns about the knock-on effects of the jab, ranging from how it will impact theirs or their families' health, to how much strain the widespread vaccinations are putting on local health services in a time of high demand. 

We put your concerns to Dr. Jason Seewoodhary of the Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust, and you can read his full responses below:

Q1: Is it safe to have the jab if you're allergic to penicillin and latex? I’ve read various articles that contradict each other. My daughter is 16 so she has not had an invite yet but I’m worrying about when she does.  

Answer: Yes, it is safe to have the jab if you are allergic to Penicillin and latex. An allergy to Penicillin is not a contraindication to the Pfizer/BioNTech, AstraZeneca COVID- 19 vaccine or Moderna vaccine.  

According to the manufacturer, neither the Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccine vials contains latex. 

Q2: I had huge histamine responses both times, and nobody seems particularly bothered (I did yellow card them). Is it still safe for me to have the over 50's booster in the autumn too? 

Answer: I’m very sorry you had that experience. A “histamine response”, manifested as an itchy raised red rash, is often called “urticaria”. If this was associated with other symptoms such as feeling faint, short of breath, wheezy, or generally unwell then you can still have the booster vaccine in the autumn, but you would require full observation for 30 minutes after the booster vaccine in a healthcare setting with full resuscitation facilities immediately available such as a hospital.  

Q3: When can we expect the doctors to go back to normal and for patients to be able to see a GP? 

Answer: GP Surgeries are in the process of returning to full face-to-face appointments as instructed by NHS England. Well over 50 percent of GP appointments are now face-to-face and GP’s have returned to undertaking regular home visits to the most vulnerable patients. It is expected that the proportion of face-to-face appointments will very quickly return to pre-pandemic levels of being roughly 75 percent of all GP consultations. 

When you call the reception team, you can specifically request to have a face-to-face appointment with your GP, or you can book a face-to-face appointment online. If, however, you have symptoms of possible Covid-19 infection, then you would be asked to have a telephone appointment first and undergo Covid-19 testing prior to being invited in for a face-to-face consultation.  

Q4: I'm concerned that people are believing that it’s 100% effective, and therefore are acting normally as if there is no pandemic. 

Answer: The Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are approximately 94 percent effective in preventing Covid-19 infection whilst the AztraZeneca vaccine is about 72 percent effective.  

Pfizer have confirmed that they haven’t seen any evidence that the circulating variants, such as the delta (Indian) variant, results in a loss of protection provided by the Pfizer BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in their laboratory studies.

Moderna said tests show that its' vaccine continued to produce neutralising activity against multiple variants of concern, including against the delta variant. AstraZeneca have confirmed that data from Public Health Scotland reaffirmed the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine was effective in reducing the risk of Covid-19 infection and hospital admissions because of the delta variant but at a slightly lower level compared with the alpha (UK / Kent) variant. 

All patients should continue to follow the advice from the UK Government moving forwards. This hones on the ‘hands, face, space’ theme, which has recently been relaxed due to the huge success of the vaccination programme in safeguarding our community.  

As well as answering the questions that were sent in by our readers, Dr. Seewoodhary also provided clarification on several frequently asked questions that he and his colleagues regularly face. 

Q5: Can you have the Covid vaccine if you're pregnant or breastfeeding? 

Answer: If you're pregnant, you should be offered the Covid-19 vaccine when you're eligible for it. It is currently recommended for you to have the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccine if you’re pregnant (because they've been more widely used during pregnancy in other countries, although studies using the AstraZeneca vaccine in pregnancy are due to be released shortly). 

Q6: Does the Covid vaccine affect fertility? 

Answer: There is no evidence that the Covid vaccines have any effect on male or female fertility, and there is no need to avoid pregnancy after vaccination. 

Q7: Does the Covid vaccine affect your DNA/genetic make-up and allow Governments and agencies to monitor, tag, probe, control or track you? 

Answer: No. None of the Covid-19 vaccines affect your DNA/RNA or genetic make-up. The RNA code contained within the vaccines is rapidly degraded by your body and doesn’t incorporate into your genetic make-up. There is no scope or potential for the Covid-19 vaccines to tag, label or probe your genes to allow you to be tracked, monitored, or traced.