Over 77,000 Covid-19 jabs given in city

Over 77,000 life-saving Covid-19 jabs have now been given in Wolverhampton, latest figures show.

A total of 77,497 vaccinations have been delivered so far, with 73,884 people having received the first of their two doses and 3,613 patients having had both.

And with the supply of the vaccine set to improve in the coming days, thousands more will be invited for their jabs in the very near future.

Vaccinations are currently available to anyone aged 60 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 the carer falls ill.

It 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 details of the priority list, please visit www.gov.uk/coronavirus.

Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The vaccination programme is going incredibly well and it's great news for our prospects of getting out of lockdown that nearly 74,000 people in Wolverhampton have already had their first jab and over 3,600 have had both doses.

"I would like to thank everyone involved in the delivery of the vaccination programme for their brilliant work, and to also thank everyone who has come forward when they have been invited in for their vaccine; if you have already been asked to go for your jab, please do so as soon as you can.

"Uptake is really high across most eligible groups but there is hesitancy to having the vaccination in some communities, and we continue to work with NHS colleagues and trusted community voices to engage directly with those who, for whatever reason, are unsure about getting this life-saving jab.

“It's really important to ignore the anti-vaxxers and remember that this vaccine is safe and that there is a wealth of evidence that it offers a very high level of protection against this deadly virus."

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 once you have had your jab, you must continue to follow Government restrictions and 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 75.6 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people in Wolverhampton over the seven days to 2 March. That means 199 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.