Every elderly care home in Calderdale has now had their first life-saving COVID-19 vaccinations delivered to those that were willing and able to receive it.
Working together in groups, GP practices have provided the vaccine to residents and staff as part of the national roll-out, which is prioritising those most at risk from the virus.
The Chair of NHS Calderdale CCG, Dr Steven Cleasby, said:
“It is great news and a significant milestone for us. GPs, nurses, pharmacists and countless other staff, partners and volunteers have been working around the clock to provide these first vaccinations as quickly as possible to our elderly care homes and should be congratulated on their hard work and dedication.
“We know people are eager get protected and may be concerned if they are in one of the priority cohorts and have not been contacted yet. However, we would like to reassure them that they will be contacted over the next few weeks and ask them not to contact the hospital, GP surgery or pharmacy to ask about vaccinations”.
The Leader of Calderdale Council, Cllr Tim Swift said:
“This is an incredible achievement and I’d like to extend my thanks to everyone involved. It’s a significant step in a long journey to vaccinate an entire population in Calderdale.
“This is a mammoth task and the full rollout will take some time. It is therefore important that we all continue to do all we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19. The three big things to protect ourselves and our loved ones are – limiting our contact with others, wearing a face covering and isolating when needed.”
Calderdale Council’s Director of Public Health, Deborah Harkins, said:
“Vaccines are the most effective way of preventing people from getting serious infectious diseases and so I’m delighted that we’ve been able to vaccinate our elderly care homes so quickly.
“I’d urge everyone to take up the vaccine when it’s offered – it’s safe, effective and our best protection against COVID-19.”
If you are aged (75) or over, and have not yet had a vaccination, you may soon get a letter from the NHS national booking system inviting you to make an appointment at our nearest National Vaccination Centre in Manchester or at our Boots community pharmacy, which is on Market Street in Halifax.
These are being sent to people who live within 45 minutes of one of the centres and might be in a different area to where you would normally receive your healthcare.
Please note that you do not have to book an appointment at one of these centres if it is not convenient for you to get there. You can:
- choose to wait for an invitation from your GP practice
OR
- choose to wait until one of the West Yorkshire centres open and are added to the national booking system, which will happen over the next few weeks.
Please do not contact your local practice about an appointment until you receive an invitation from them.
They will not be able to advise you on when you will get an appointment or which centres are available. All this information is available on the national booking system website.
Watch the film featuring Calderdale care home staff and residents receiving their first life-saving dose of the vaccine at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq4JGRz6CSA&feature=youtu.be(external link)