All Oldham care home residents to be vaccinated by end of this week

Residents of all care homes in Oldham will have received the coronavirus vaccine by the end of this week.

The news comes as rollout of the vaccine progresses well across the borough, with more than 13,000 vaccines delivered to Oldham's most elderly and vulnerable residents, as well as to front-line workers.

In addition to care home residents and staff, all other priority groups are on track to be vaccinated by mid-February.

These are those aged over 70; frontline health and social care workers, and clinically extremely vulnerable people.

Having the vaccine is the best way to protect the most vulnerable people from coronavirus, and has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives.

Dr Zahid Chauhan, Oldham GP and cabinet member for health and social care at Oldham Council, said: "I'm proud that the rollout of the Coronavirus vaccine is progressing so well here in Oldham.

"This is down to the hard work of people across the system working together in very challenging and complex circumstances.

"This vaccine is the best defence against coronavirus alongside effective social distancing, wearing a face covering, and hand hygiene.

"It's also very important to remember that the vaccine is safe, and has undergone months of rigorous testing and strict safety approval processes.

"I would therefore urge everyone invited for their vaccine, whether through GPs here in Oldham or through the regional site at the Etihad campus, to take up the offer and protect themselves.

"The vaccination programme is key to protecting people from this terrible virus and is crucial if we are all to return to our normal lives as soon as we possibly can."

Six vaccination centres are now operational across Oldham, in addition to the Greater Manchester-wide vaccination centre at the Etihad campus.

Those registered with a GP in Oldham will be contacted directly from their practice or by an NHS representative when it is their turn to be vaccinated.

The caller will not ask for money and will not ask for any personal details other than for the name to be confirmed.

People may also receive another invitation from the NHS, offering the option of attending the mass vaccination centre at the Etihad, or a local pharmacy.

This regional offer is in addition to the vaccine rollout programme here in Oldham and gives more choice to people in terms of when and where they take up the vaccine, as well as providing extra capacity overall.

If people have already booked an appointment for a vaccine through their GP, they can ignore the additional letter from the NHS.

Mike Barker, Chief Operating Officer at NHS Oldham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), said: "Staff across Team Oldham are doing an incredible job to deliver what it is the largest vaccination programme in our history, at the same time as continuing to be there for everyone who needs medical care.

"But we need members of the public to play their part too.

"Please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, we will contact you.

"And when we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments at exactly the time you’re asked to, so that we can avoid queues in this cold weather.

"Perhaps most importantly, please continue to follow all the guidance in place to control the virus and save lives, even if you have already had your vaccine.

"Coronavirus rates are coming down here in Oldham, but if we are to stop the spread, stay safe and save lives, we all need to keep playing our part."

The first eligible people in the top priority group in Oldham received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday, December 15 at Greenbank Medical Practice.

More information on the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine in Oldham is available online here

For more information on the facts behind the vaccine, please visit the website here

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