Our hospitals remain under significant pressure this week as we hit a new peak of 712 beds occupied by Covid-19 positive patients. We can all help to reduce these numbers in our hospitals by following the national guidance to stay at home to help stop the spread of the virus. We can all help to reduce the strain on our hospital staff by making sure we choose the right service for our needs – if in doubt use the 111 service.
The vaccination programme in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire is underway and we would remind the public not to call their GP or turn up at A&E or doctor’s surgery – please follow the instructions in your invitation letter to make an appointment. Letters to all over 80s have been sent out and you can find the latest information for over 80s here.
Latest figures:
Dr Andy Haynes, Executive Lead, Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care System, said: “We welcome the release of the latest vaccination data, it shows that we have made significant progress with vaccinating our population since we started the programme. With the opening of further sites over the last week and in the coming days, we anticipate that the scale of our vaccination programme will accelerate rapidly.
“We are prioritising our over 80s cohort in the first instance and we hope to see this group protected as soon as possible. All letters inviting over 80s for a vaccination have been sent out and we would encourage carers, relatives and friends to assist in booking an appointment.
“If anyone in the over 80s group has not received their letter or has misplaced it, they can book their appointment using https://www.swiftqueue.co.uk/nottinghamc19vpatient.php or by calling 0115 883 4640.
“In addition to this, over the weekend GPs from a number of practices will be supporting this collaborative work in a final push to vaccinate and protect our most vulnerable in our older persons care homes as quickly as possible. The NHS will be in touch with people who are housebound over the next two weeks about arranging a Covid-19 vaccination. Our dedicated ‘roving team’ will be working with teams already supporting housebound residents to coordinate delivering the vaccinations
“Towards the end of the month we will shift our focus to include the 75 to 79 groups but we are temporarily suspending making appointments on our local booking system for this group until 28 January so we can prioritise the over 80s. We need to carefully match the vaccine that is made available to us with the appointments offered to avoid any last minute cancellations. We would ask this group to be patient while we first look to vaccinate the eldest and most vulnerable members of our community. I would like to reassure you that all of our modelling indicates that, as long as we continue to receive supply of the vaccine, we are on track to deliver the vaccines to the top four cohorts in line with the Prime Minister’s deadline of mid-February.
“I would like to thank the public for your continued patience with the vaccine rollout – there is light at the end of the tunnel, but remember, this is a huge challenge and our teams are working exceptionally hard to coordinate and administer the vaccine to those in our communities as quickly as possible.”
UPDATE (24.01.21) Please read an important update on Covid-19 vaccine appointments for over 75s here.
Remember:
The NHS is here for you and so if you are concerned about a new lump or mole or have any other health issues then please get in touch with your GP or in an emergency call 999. If you are unsure which service you need, call 111 or go to 111 Online who will advise you on the best service for your needs.
If you have symptoms of coronavirus, including a new continuous cough, a high temperature or a loss of, or change in, your normal sense of smell or taste, then get a test by calling 119 or go online to https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test
For more information about the Covid-19 vaccination programme, please click here.
