Some positive news on the vaccine front: we are making good progress in Solihull, with the effort to vaccinate in care homes pretty much complete, and the vaccinations of over 80s likely to be complete within the next week. A few key points:
· There is no issue with vaccine supply.
· Vaccinations for the housebound are now starting. This is being managed centrally for Birmingham/Solihull (not through local GPs).
· Vaccine is not being wasted. The Pfizer vaccine does have a very short life once defrosted, but missed appointments are rare and any surplus is used up for other priority patients, etc.
· People who don’t want to go to Millennium Point can wait to get their vaccine locally.
· Don’t ring your GP unless it’s really necessary.
· Local vaccinations in Solihull are being managed through four distribution points (i.e. not every GP surgery). This is to manage the logistics as part of a nationwide operation (there are 600 vaccination locations across the country). It’s likely to become more localised in the future but, for now, some centralisation is better to facilitate speed.
· Recruitment for support jobs at Millennium Point is underway. More details at https://www.wmjobs.co.uk/job/86710/Covid-19-mass-testing-support-programme/.