Health bosses speak as Wigan roll-out of Covid-19 vaccine continues

Facilities are being set up this week at St Peter’s Pavilion in Hindley and Golborne Parkside Sports and Community Centre.

They will work alongside the sites at Robin Park and Leigh leisure centres which have been administering jabs since mid-December, and like them the new ones will be for pre-booked appointments only.

Health bosses have hailed the roll-out as an important step in the fight against Covid-19, but say people still need to ensure they fully follow the guidelines.

They have also set out to answer questions on when people can expect to be vaccinated, how the enormous logistical task of vaccinating people is going and what is happening with the regional centres which have been created.

However, the shifting advice on how the doses should be given has created something of a two-tier system in Wigan, with some people having received both doses of the vaccines and others still awaiting a call.

Unsurprisingly, this has led to residents harbouring very different views of the roll-out, with some elated at the service offered to them and others extremely concerned at the prospect of long waits for a jab.

Wigan Council and the NHS Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which is in charge of the roll-out, says around 4,000 residents, including 400 care home staff, have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far.

Dr Tim Dalton, Local GP and chair of the CCG, said: “It is really exciting to be delivering vaccinations to local residents and gives us some light at the end of the tunnel.

“I have been in the clinics vaccinating residents myself, and it is great to see how much residents want and appreciate their vaccine.

“We are booking people in for their vaccine starting with the over 80s first as they are most at risk of getting very seriously ill or dying from Covid-19 if they get it.

“We ask people to be patient; when you are eligible, you will be on our list and we will get to you. If you aren’t registered with a GP, or your contact details aren’t up-to-date, now would be good time to get that sorted so we can invite you when your turn comes.”

The authorities have been forced to prioritise the order of the roll-out as vaccines have arrived in the borough in batches of around 975 and there are more than 14,000 over-80s living in Wigan and Leigh alone.

The council and CCG said patients’ ages, comorbidities and ethnicities are all factors being taken into account.

However, that has not stopped Wigan residents raising some questions and concerns over who has got to go first, with apparent inconsistencies being highlighted.

The abrupt change in advice from the UK’s four chief medical officers on December 30 has not helped stem confusion either.

The first patients to be booked in from December 17 were given a second appointment for their other dose within three weeks, which was recommended at that time.

However, just before the New Year experts suddenly shifted tack and decided, faced with a more contagious variant and surging case rates, that it was best to get one dose to as many people as possible.

That meant appointments for second doses were delayed to around 12 weeks.

This has produced very different responses to the roll-out between the fortunate few who were called up first and those who are still waiting.

Ian Clift, from Aspull, said: “My wife and I have had wonderful service from the NHS staff at the Robin Park Leisure Centre having now had both our jabs.

“The first one was very early on (I think the centre had only been open a day or so) and there were a few queues but we had the second one last week and the service was simply first class.

“We were dealt with immediately we arrived and the whole procedure was carried out without any delay. Our experience was one of great efficiency at the Wigan centre and the NHS should be applauded.”

However, one Wigan resident said: “My elderly father is on the high at-risk list yet is still waiting notification of when he can have his jab.

“He is totally reliant on me as his carer and has been contacted several times by the NHS telling him how to shield himself.”

The CCG has said that patients who are housebound have currently not been able to be included in the vaccination programme, because of the requirements of the vaccines.

However, they say they are hopeful this will begin soon as new guidelines are anticipated.

Although exact numbers cannot be given, the authorities said they are in a good position to hit the Government’s target at the end of January for priority groups, including care home residents and staff.

It is known that 4,000 residents have been vaccinated so far along with 3,000 health and social care staff.

Appointments are being made when deliveries are confirmed. This can mean patients being called with just 48 hours notice, but the CCG says it does not think this is a problem as there is no evidence these appointments are being turned down.

Health bosses also say the opening of two more centres will result in more vaccines being sent to the borough.

Concern has also been raised about the opening of regional vaccination centres, with the nearest one to Wigan being at the Etihad Tennis Centre in Manchester.

The CCG said anyone worried about that journey or unable to make it should not worry.

Although people in Wigan may receive invitations to the regional centres, there will be a local option made available to them as well, health bosses stressed.

They said anyone eligible will be contacted by their GP, and anyone with appointments booked already should ignore correspondence related to the Manchester centre.

Despite all the work going on, health bosses have been keen to stress the roll-out does not mean the borough is anywhere near out of the woods when it comes to Covid-19.

Professor Kate Ardern, director of public health at Wigan Council, said: “The rollout of vaccines is extremely positive news, but as we have seen in recent weeks with the new strain of Covid-19 impacting on our local rates of infection, this is no time for complacency.

“Our teams across Wigan borough are focussing their efforts on accelerating the rollout of the vaccine with council staff supporting the four centres.

“We are reaching another crucial stage and it is vital that each one of us continues to do our bit to reduce the strain on health services.

“The vaccine protects the individual from becoming seriously ill from Covid, it doesn’t stop that person from being able to pass on the virus to others.

“Please comply with the lockdown restrictions and remember the four Ws; watch your distance, wear a face covering, wash your hands and work from home if you can to minimise all unnecessary contact with others.”

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