The word on everyone's lips at the minute: vaccine.
For some it is the light at the end of the tunnel and a glimmer of hope but for others it is anxiety triggering and causing concern.
With the increase in fake news, protests and everyone giving their opinion, it can be hard to know what is true and what isn't. If you have concerns, we have some information to help answer your questions.
Needles
Some of us are more concerned about the injection itself than the vaccine being administered and may have a phobia of needles. It's nothing to be embarrassed about and is more common than you might think, affecting at least one in 10 people. A lot of people develop their fear of needles around a young age or from a negative experience.
It's important to talk to the person involved in your care if you are anxious or worried about needles, particularly if it is preventing you from taking care of yourself - for example missing GP appointments for blood tests and vaccinations that protect us from disease and infection like the flu and coronavirus.
Side effects
These are important details which the MHRA always consider when assessing candidate vaccines for use. For this vaccine, like lots of others, they have identified that some people might feel slightly unwell, but they report that no significant side effects have been observed in the over 43,000 people involved in trials.
All patients will be provided with information on the vaccine they have received, how to look out for any side effects, and what to do if they do occur, including reporting them to the MHRA.
Safety
Many people are anxious for a range of different and personal reasons, however one common concern talked about recently is speed in which the vaccine has been produced and if it is safe.
The answer is yes. The NHS will not offer any COVID-19 vaccinations to the public until independent experts have signed off that it is safe to do so.
The MHRA, the official UK regulator, have said this vaccine is safe and highly effective, and we have full confidence in their expert judgement and processes. As with any medicine, vaccines are highly regulated products.
There are checks at every stage in the development and manufacturing process, and continued monitoring once it has been authorised and is being used in the wider population.
Sources
Sadly the world is littered with misinformation and this makes it difficult for people to make decisions about their health.
As hard as companies like Facebook and Twitter try, sometimes they can't take down or remove every inaccurate and incorrect post. So don't look to social media for trusted news. Look to trusted sources of information such as nhs.uk gov.uk and NHS England.
It's important that you only share news from official sources and channels. People can be very easily influenced by what they read online, so don't add to the growing mountain of confusing and dangerous misinformation.