New social media campaign encourages young people to get vaccinated
Published: 18 August 2021
“We are all in this together” – that’s the message from people across Devon in a new poster campaign targeting young people.
Among them is Lara Drake, who’s 25. Lara takes medication for a condition she has, and it can her more vulnerable to Covid-19.
She said: “Having the vaccine can reduce your risk of getting seriously unwell if you were to catch Covid-19, but it can also help to protect your friends.
“There are plenty of young people around with invisible illnesses, and while it’s important to help protect older people, it’s also about young people who you might not know could be more at risk.”
Lara is one of the many NHS staff who we applauded on our doorsteps last year. She has spent the pandemic working in the Emergency Department at Royal Devon and Exeter hospital, at the Nightingale Hospital in Exeter and now at Exeter’s Covid-19 vaccination centre at Greendale providing operational and administrative support.
The “Together for Devon” social media campaign launches this week and features people from across Devon giving their reasons for having the vaccine.
Posters will be distributed to businesses and local authorities throughout Devon to encourage those who haven’t yet taken up the offer to have the Covid-19 vaccine.
NHS Devon’s chief nurse Darryn Allcorn said: “Many of the people in hospital with Covid-19 this summer are younger and unvaccinated.
“It is vital you have both doses of the vaccine to protect yourself from Covid-19 and Long Covid; which affects people of all ages.
“People who are double vaccinated may find it easier to access places such as nightclubs and events, and from this week will no longer have to isolate if they’re in close contact with someone who has Covid-19.”
How can I have the vaccine?
People aged over 17 and 9 months can make an appointment online with the National Booking System or by calling 119, or they can attend one of the many walk in clinics running every day.
People aged 16-17 years and 9 months can either wait to be invited by their GP for an appointment or attend a walk-in session.
Find out where your nearest walk-in vaccination site is or keep up to date on NHS Devon CCG’s social media pages.