Second Covid jabs to be moved up in Tameside to keep infections down

Second doses of Covid vaccinations are to be brought forward in Tameside to keep the borough's infection levels low.

The recommended time between doses was 12 weeks earlier in the year, before being reduced to 11, but will now only be eight weeks as the borough looks to keep cases down.

Cllr Eleanor Wills said that people should expect their second dose appointments to come through sooner as the vaccine is offered to younger age groups.

Currently, more than 64% of adults across Tameside, around 128,000 people, have had their first vaccination against Covid-19, a figure the councillor called “really good.”

Tameside is ahead of national targets, especially those who are clinically extremely vulnerable.

Cllr Wills also said that there were currently no Covid infections running through Tameside care homes at the moment.

Now, with the borough keen to guard against any rise in infections from any of the new variants, she wants to encourage any of the younger groups who have been offered the vaccine to take up the offer.

Currently, anyone aged 35 and over in Tameside is invited to get the vaccine, but the take-up has been slower than the over-50’s category. Cllr Wills explained: “It’s a little bit slower than the over-50’s which is the reason why we need to push and remind people that when they do get invited for the vaccine to take that offer.

“We’ve done lots of accessible clinics in different areas, there’s been some pop up clinics. We ran one in Droylsden on Saturday, we’ve done a couple in Ashton’s mosques and we’re looking to do one in the mosque in Hyde as well.

“We’re trying to make it as accessible for people as we can locally.”

Plans are in place to have more pop-up clinics, particularly in the Stalybridge area. A ‘vaccine bus’ will also make its way around Tameside over a two week period to ensure as many people as possible are able to be vaccinated.

While new variants of the coronavirus, such as the Indian strain, aren’t thought to have taken hold in Tameside, the council want to remain vigilant and ensure as many people as possible are vaccinated. Cllr Wills said: “The message at the moment is we’re not invulnerable to the new variants that are coming through, we are seeing new variants come through. 

“They’re not the monopoly at the moment but it does make it more poignant to remind people to go out and get the vaccine. 

“If we look at neighbouring localities that have had the new variant and their hospital admissions, it’s generally people that have been offered the vaccine and haven’t taken the offer that have ended up at the worst end of the scale in terms of illness. 

“It’s really important we prompt people as much as possible, when they’re offered, to go out and take the vaccine up.”

To see if you’re eligible to receive the vaccine, you can visit the local NHS website at https://tamesideandglossop.nhsvaccinations.co.uk/.

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