Any vaccine offered to you has been licensed and approved and has gone through all the necessary stages of development to make it safe and effective. As of August 2020 there were 4.2m over-75 households with free licences that, under the new policy, needed to transition to new paid or free licences. In August 2020 - and following the largest consultation in the BBC’s history - the process was started to transition over 75 households from free to paid-for TV licences, following the Government’s decision to withdraw the concession. The NHS prepared a vaccination programme so that it could start vaccinating people as soon as vaccines were approved and available. Since the start of August 2020 we have handled more than one million phone calls to our dedicated helpline.

Clive Lloyd knighted - BBC New Year’s Honours: West Indies star Clive Lloyd knighted - BBC

No one in this group would have received any other letters unless we were in active dialogue with them as part of the transition process. No enforcement action has been taken against anyone who has previously held a free over-75s TV licence. If the person you’re talking to, the social media post you’re reading, or the YouTube video you’re watching doesn’t say where they’ve found the information they’re sharing, it’s worth being sceptical. At Age UK, we get all of our information from reputable sources including the NHS, academic experts, scientific publications, pharmaceutical companies, the World Health Organisation, and the organisation that approves the vaccines: the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).

Pension Credit

The BBC retained a free licence provision for the most vulnerable. Free TV licences remain available to anyone aged over 75 who is in receipt of Pension Credit, paid for by the BBC. Overall, customer satisfaction levels remain high - as measured by independent assessment and industry best practice.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine latest information | Age UK

About 1 in 7 older customers are left to transition either by buying a licence or claiming a free licence paid for by the BBC. Research has shown that the protection the vaccines provide starts to lessen as time goes on. Booster vaccines have also been amended to protect you from more recent variants, so it's important that everyone who is eligible goes and gets their booster. Do I need to get my flu vaccine too? If you do experience any of these side effects, they're likely to last no longer than a week. But if they get worse, or if you're concerned, you should call NHS 111 and explain your symptoms – let them know you've had a vaccination.Any side effects you experience can also be reported to the MHRA Yellow Card Scheme by your doctor. Volunteers are then monitored closely to determine whether people catch the disease and if there are any side effects. Monitoring continues to determine how long immunity lasts. Is the information from a trusted news source that you are familiar with? There are lots of people claiming to be experts speaking about vaccines, but it may be hard to tell whether they are as knowledgeable as they say they are. Scientists identify the specific antigen to the virus that causes the disease, then develop a vaccine to trial. We have implemented these transitional arrangements with the greatest care and have worked to make the process as fair and straightforward as possible. We have also been very mindful to operate in a Covid-safe way.

TV Licences: An update - Media Centre - BBC Over 75s TV Licences: An update - Media Centre - BBC

As the coronavirus pandemic has had such an impact globally, researchers and pharmaceutical companies worked together to reduce the amount of time spent waiting between the phases of development. We have had to adjust our plans because of Covid-19 - ensuring customers have plenty of time to respond and creating new processes to help them get set-up from home. No one needs to leave their home to get set-up. Arrangements can be made via post, online or via a dedicated phone line on 0300 790 6117

What next

It’s recommended that pregnant women should only receive the vaccine in certain circumstances. Children shouldn't get the vaccine at the moment, either. This is simply because it hasn't yet been tested on these groups. Then there are three stages of trials and at each of these stages, the vaccine is tested on more people. From the outset, we have planned for this transition process to take time and we are making good progress.