Nearly 88,000 Covid-19 jabs given in city

Nearly 88,000 life-saving Covid-19 jabs have now been given in Wolverhampton, latest figures show – an increase of over 10,000 in a week.

A total of 87,657 vaccinations have been delivered so far, with 83,370 people having received the first of their two doses and 4,287 patients having had both.

Vaccinations are currently available to anyone aged 55 and over; anyone who is clinically extremely vulnerable; frontline health and social care workers; and people who are in receipt of Carer's Allowance or are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if their carer falls ill.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “Thousands more people have received a life-saving Covid-19 vaccination in the last week and the pace is only set to increase further in the weeks ahead as more individuals become eligible for their first jab and others go back for their second dose.

"The fact that over 10,000 jabs were administered in the last seven days is an incredible achievement and testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the delivery of this vaccination programme, which is the largest in NHS history.

"It's likely that the easing of restrictions in the weeks ahead will lead to an increase in Covid-19 infection rates so now, more than ever, is the time to get your jab if you are eligible for it.”

The vaccine will be rolled out to further priority groups in the coming weeks. The NHS will contact people as and when they become eligible for their jab.

For more information about the vaccine, including the answers to frequently asked questions, please visit www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/vaccine. People will need to register with a GP surgery in England in order to receive the vaccine. For more details, please visit www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/gps.

Councillor Jaspal added: “Please remember that, even after you have had your jab, you must continue to follow Government guidance. Keep your distance from others, wear a face covering, wash your hands or use hand sanitiser regularly and get a PCR test if you have symptoms of Covid-19 or a rapid test if you don't."

Latest figures show there were 60.2 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the seven days to 9 March. That means 158 people in the city tested positive for the virus in that seven day period – though the true number of new cases will likely be higher.

Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19, which include a fever, a new continuous cough or a change to the sense of taste or smell, must immediately self-isolate and book a PCR test by visiting www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test or calling 119.

The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at www.gov.uk/coronavirus and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/coronavirus. Information about the vaccine can be found at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/covidvaccine. Further details of the lockdown restrictions currently in place, and the answers to frequently asked questions, are available at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/covidalert.