Given the importance of vaccines as a route out of the coronavirus pandemic and associated restrictions, I thought it would be useful to update constituents across the Forest of Dean on the situation locally.
It is good news that significant progress with vaccinations has been made across Gloucestershire, with our local NHS team – staff, groups of GP practices and volunteers – putting in a monumental effort to vaccinate thousands already.
As of 31st December, over 5,000 frontline NHS, health and social care staff in the priority groups have so far received their first doses at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital’s vaccination hub and over 20,000 people in community vaccination centres and care homes across Gloucestershire.
Our vaccination centre in the Forest of Dean is located at the old Cinderford Health Centre on Dockham Road.
The NHS says that the rate of vaccinations in the county should only increase as additional vaccine supplies are made available.
Updated national guidance has been published to advise increasing the spacing of second vaccine doses for both the new Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine and the current Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
Updated guidance for the NHS recommends that the second dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is offered between 3 and 12 weeks following the first dose.
Those people who recently received their first vaccination and are due to receive their second dose in the next few weeks, may be contacted by the NHS to re-arrange their appointment later within the 12 week window.
For those people receiving their first vaccination from today an appointment to receive the second dose will be scheduled within 12 weeks – the NHS will contact you.
Clinical Chair of NHS Gloucestershire CCG, Dr Andy Seymour, has said that “prioritising the first doses of vaccine for as many people as possible in priority groups will protect the greatest number of at-risk people overall in the shortest possible time.”
Those who have already had their first dose will be asked to wait longer for their second dose of the vaccine, but this will be within the recommended time period.
The NHS is the best source for further information about vaccines on www.nhs.uk/CovidVaccine