Oldham on track to vaccinate most vulnerable groups by mid-February

Unvaccinated over 70s are now being asked to contact the NHS

Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) say groups most vulnerable to Coronavirus will have been vaccinated by mid-February.

The news comes as the total number of first-dose vaccinations in the UK now stands at 13,058,298.

Mike Barker, Chief Operating Officer at Oldham CCG said: “The COVID-19 vaccine programme is going very well across Oldham and we are on track to vaccinate the four groups most vulnerable to Coronavirus by mid-February with their first dose of the vaccine.

"The programme continues to evolve with additional vaccine sites opening up across Oldham in the coming weeks and months as the vaccine becomes available to more people across the borough".

Nationally, most NHS frontline staff, care home residents and workers, and over 75s have now been vaccinated.

The infection rate continues to fall in Oldham with 213 cases for every 100,000 residents in the last recorded 7-day period.  This is the fourth-lowest rate in Greater Manchester, behind Trafford (182), Tameside (186) and Bury (196).

Last week, the Government announced new advice for over 70s who had not yet been vaccinated.

Mr Barker clarified the advice locally, telling the Chronicle: "I would like to remind people if you are aged 70 or over, or are in the clinically extremely vulnerable (CEV) category and have not yet been offered your first dose of the vaccine, you can now contact the NHS to get it. You can do this by booking an appointment online at nhs.uk or by calling 119. If you are aged 80 or over, you can contact your GP practice directly to arrange your first vaccine.

"If you are not aged 70 or over, or in a CEV, you should continue to wait to be contacted. When it is your turn to be vaccinated, and if you are registered with a GP in Oldham, you will be contacted directly from your practice or an NHS representative."

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