Leaflet 'Do you have a fear of injections of needles? Do you faint on occasion?' given to people with anxiety with needles prior to their COVID-19 vaccination, made NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Service, 2021

Around 1 in ten people have a fear of injections and needles. Triggers can be the sight of a needle or intense emotions such as being afraid or frightened. This can lead to a sudden drop of blood pressure, causing a faint. This leaflet gives advice about what to do if a person feels faint or has experienced fainting during an injection before. The advice is to tell your vaccinator and talk about it. Different adaptions are in place, such as having the injection while lying down, being talked through the procedure at each step, breathing and visualisation techniques.

This leaflet was collected at AFC Wimbledon’s stadium which was converted into a mass vaccination clinic in March 2021. While closed due to coronavirus restrictions, many community centres, sporting grounds, leisure centres, religious venues and nightclubs became pop-up or outreach vaccination clinics.