Words: Richard Beecham
All of Leeds’ care home residents could be vaccinated by the end of this weekend, according to a statement from Leeds City Council.
A statement from the authority stated that “the current plan” was that all care home residents would have their first jabs by January 24, subject to vaccine supply.
Leeds recently saw its number of Covid 19 cases rise to more than 47,000 since the start of the pandemic.
The council urged over-80s should not worry if they have not been invited for a vaccination slot yet, and that authorities were working hard to make sure jabs are available as soon as possible.
It added in a joint statement with the NHS:
“We know that lots of people who fall in to the priority groups for vaccination recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are both keen and anxious to get their vaccination as soon as possible to protect themselves, their families and others.
“Please don’t be worried if you or a family member is over 80 but hasn’t heard anything so far. You might know others over 80 who have been invited for their vaccination already, but that does not mean that you or your relative are a lower priority.
“GPs and other practice staff are working hard to vaccinate as many people in this group as quickly as possible and, during January and February 2021, many more people will be invited in. This is only the start of the vaccination programme and it will take some time to work through everyone.”
Leeds City Council Chief Executive Tom Riordan announced today that the Leeds case rate had lowered to 294.4 per 100,000 (from 318.4) – down 11 percent in last seven days.
It follows estimates that around one in 10 individuals in the UK have had the virus, based on a study carried out by institutions including the University of Oxford.
