Covid-19: Calls for more coronavirus vaccines in the North West as infection rates continue to rise due to Delta variant
There are calls for more coronavirus vaccines for the North West as health bosses warn without them infections rates will continue to rise due to the Delta variant.
Both Greater Manchester and Lancashire have been promised a 'strengthened package of support' to tackle the rise in numbers, but leaders argue it can only happen if people of all ages are vaccinated.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham says more young people need to be vaccinated in Covid hotspots to avoid transmission.
All four councils in Cheshire have also written to the Government over concerns the county's infection rates are rising, but they are running out of jabs.
In a letter to the Health Secretary, councillors say they are currently operating at only a fifth of capacity.
Cllr Sam Corcoran, the leader of Cheshire East Council, says infection rates have increased sharply over the past two weeks.
He said: "There have been times when we've been ahead of the rest of the country and we've had our vaccine supply throttled back, I can understand the reasons for that and you want other areas to catch-up, but not now.
"At the moment when we're seeing these very high levels of infection and increasing infection rates we do not want to see our vaccine supply throttled back."
The new guidance for the four million people living in Greater Manchester and large parts of Lancashire is:
With the new advice came a package of support, including rapid response teams, surge testing with support from the military and more in school testing.
Medics point to the success of Bolton where the vaccine appears to have "broken the chain" between catching coronavirus and becoming seriously ill.
Sir Richard Leese, the Health and Care Lead for Greater Manchester, says: "It is having enough Moderna vaccine and enough Pfizer vaccine to be able to do those younger age groups, not across the whole of Greater Manchester, but in the particular top target areas where we see high levels of prevalence."
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