Health chiefs praise heroic ongoing effort to vaccinate Cheshire residents

Health chiefs have praised the heroic effort to protect Cheshire residents via the county’s COVID-19 vaccination programme.

At NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s Governing Body meeting on Thursday, January 21^st 2021, health leaders responded to a wide range of public questions to help update residents about the progress of the programme.

A powerful video featuring testimonies from patients, volunteers and health and care staff was also shared as part of the session.

Sandbach GP Dr Andrew Wilson, Chair of NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The COVID-19 vaccination programme offers a great beacon of hope for all of us, but it is important to remember that we are still in the middle of a very serious pandemic which is putting health and care services under tremendous pressure.

“Behind every statistic are sad stories of lost loved ones and we must never forget that. There are reasons for optimism, however, not least due to the fantastic community effort that is helping to fuel Cheshire’s drive to vaccinate our most vulnerable.”

Tracey Cole, NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group’s Executive Director of Strategy and Partnerships, said: “Vaccination is the best way out of this pandemic. The COVID-19 vaccination programme is the largest vaccination programme in British history and it has taken an epic feat of heroic will to get to where we are now – with 23 vaccination sites up-and-running across Cheshire – while also continuing to run other services to support our residents.

“Thank you to everyone involved in this – staff, volunteers and patients who are coming forward in their thousands to receive a vaccination.”

Supported by hundreds of volunteers, 18 GP-led vaccination centres are now live across Cheshire to administer the vaccine to eligible residents via defined clinics in line with vaccine supply.

The GP-led sites are complemented by four hospital hubs and a pharmacy-led site at Andrew’s Pharmacy in Macclesfield. Further pharmacy-led sites are also planned in Alsager, Crewe and Winsford.

Eligible Cheshire residents may also be invited for a vaccination at regional vaccination sites – such as those in Manchester and St Helens. This is optional, however. If preferred, residents can instead wait to be invited for a vaccination at a site closer to home.

Comprehensive, up-to-date information about Cheshire’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is available here: https://www.cheshireccg.nhs.uk/news/news-stories/covid-19-vaccination-programme-what-you-need-to-know/

The NHS is planning to vaccinate everyone in the top four priority groups by mid-February 2021 – including older care home residents and staff, everyone aged over 70, all frontline NHS and care staff and all those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

Alongside delivering a COVID-19 vaccine, GP practices across Cheshire are, of course, continuing to offer routine appointments to those that need them.

If in any doubt about which local health service you need you are, however, advised to contact NHS 111 first – either by dialling 111 or online at: 111.nhs.uk

More information about Cheshire’s COVID-19 vaccination programme is available here:

https://www.cheshireccg.nhs.uk/news/news-stories/covid-19-vaccination-programme-what-you-need-to-know/

Pictured - Sandbach GP Dr Andrew Wilson, Chair of NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group.