NHS North West pull out all the stops this New Year to make access to Covid vaccinations easy
The NHS in the North West say it is pulling out all the stops at the start of the New Year to ensure access to Covid-19 vaccinations and boosters continues to be as easy as possible.
As the number of people in hospital with Covid increases, the region’s lead doctor is urging people who have not taken the jab yet to come forward and protect themselves and their loved ones against the Omicron Variant.
Dr David Levy, NHS North West Medical Director said: “If you are one of the people who are yet to come forward for either your first, second or booster jab, I would urge you to get jabbed in order to protect yourself, your family and friends.
“I know from looking at the figures for our region that the majority of people in our hospitals as a result of Covid have either not been vaccinated at all, or have not had the full recommended course of the vaccine.”
According to Dr Levy there are now 1,498 people in hospital with Covid in our region - an increase of two-thirds compared to the previous week.
Around 10% of young adults tested positive last week and the majority of people being admitted into hospital are young adults.
He continued: “I understand that some people may have wanted to wait until after the Christmas and New Year break, and others just wanted to wait and see what happened with the roll out of the vaccine.
“But a year on, it’s really clear that the vaccine is safe, effective and has saved lives.
“Even if you think you’ve had the Covid virus already, you won’t have the same level of protection that you would get from the vaccine.
“For the vast majority of people the side-effects from having the Covid vaccine are mild, compared to the symptoms from the virus itself or the longer term effects of Long Covid, and indicate that the vaccine is successfully stimulating your immune system.
“We’ve got more vaccine clinics and appointments available than ever, so this is an ideal opportunity at the start of the New Year to get your jab”.
Currently, over 13.7 million doses of the vaccine have been given to people in the region, including 3.4 million boosters.
The NHS say recent evidence has shown that a third booster increases protection against Covid by more than 90%.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) estimated that as of 24 September, 127,500 deaths and 24,144,000 infections have been prevented across the UK as a result of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.
Dr Linda Charles-Ozuzu, NHS England’s Regional Director of Commissioning and Improvement and Senior Responsible Officer for the COVID-19 Vaccination Programme in the North West said: “The vaccine programme has been a great success, however we need to continue to encourage as many people as possible to come forward.
“That’s why across the North West we have been taking the vaccine out to local communities, working with community groups and faith leaders, to ensure that those people who are most vulnerable to Covid take up the offer of a vaccine.”
If you would like to book to get your Covid vaccine:
Call 119 to book an appointment or,
Search online for the National Booking Service to find available appointments or,
Use this site finder to locate vaccine walk-in centres