Local medical teams are well on their way to completing Phase One of their vaccination programme, which will mean those in the top nine priority groups will be fully vaccinated.
To date CHAW practices (comprising GP surgeries in Chelford, Handforth, Alderley Edge and Wilmslow) have administered 25,600 vaccines.
These can be broken down to 11,796 Pfizer vaccinations and 13,804 of the Astra Zeneca vaccines.
As a result they have 2,260 second doses to go before all patients aged 50 and over along with clinically extremely vulnerable individuals will have received both jabs.
Dr Amar Ahmed, Partner at Wilmslow Health Centre, said "Hopefully we'll get all those done in the next few weeks. The only thing slowing us down now is the MASSIVE demand from patients.
"Since July 2020, General Practice in the UK has faced unprecedented demand (up to 40% more than pre-covid levels). This demand has increased even further since the easing of lockdown in in Spring 2021. The ongoing GP retention and recruitment crisis has meant that the number of GPs in the workforce has not increased to meet the extra demand."
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
I was astonished to see that Wilmslow's vaccine roll out has moved to far
less accessible Alderley Park, when residents had convenient town centre
locations at local GP medical centres. Unless they have a car they now
have to catch a bus or taxi for miles. What is the rationale?
As people hope they may at last be able to fly to the sunny Med the UK says
you will need a digital vaccination certificate even though several EU
countries say digital or paper proof is okay. Many people who have had both
jabs don't want or use expensive smart phones. All we get is a postage stamp
certificate, People have long needed vaccination cards for Yellow Fever in
some countries. Why is the Government discriminating against those without
smart phones? We need answers.
Rant #1:
I don’t know the facts to explain the rationale on why Alderley Park is the main vaccination centre for the local health; but here’s my opinion.
Wilmslow Health Centre has limited parking and is used for day to day activities such as Doctor/Physio appointments, pharmacy visits etc. Having helped out when the clinics have been held, the lack of parking and impact it had on traffic flow on Chapel Lane was a source of frustration for many visiting the Health Centre or travelling passed.
When the vaccine drive started, I guess it was the easiest place to kick start the roll-out as Alderley Park was being prepared as a longer term solution. Alderley Park has excellent car parking facilities and plenty of space to safely allow large numbers to be vaccinated each and every day. Personally, I think it is the perfect location.
And the article clearly mentions the vaccination programme was for the CHAW practices. So Alderley Park is likely to be a much more accessible location for the residents of Chelford and Alderley Edge.
I assume you attended Wilmslow Health Centre for your vaccine. So is your annoyance of behalf of others really needed? And is Alderley Park really ‘miles’ away? At 4.5 miles and less than 10 minutes, I find it difficult to understand your astonishment.
Rant #2:
Where has the UK said you need a digital vaccination certificate to travel? I have not travelled yet but hope we can in July and I understand there are many people who have left these shores since 17 May. I have not read reports of this so called discrimination. Can you help us understand when it was introduced? By the time we travel, our 18 year old daughter is unlikely to have been vaccinated. So she won’t have a digital or paper certificate. Can she claim a form of discrimination? Not sure if this gives you the answers you demand. But are you currently prevented from travelling because you don’t have a smartphone?
Where in this article does it say that the Wilmslow vaccine roll out has been moved to Alderley Park? The answer is that it does not. The article makes it quite clear that the GP surgeries have….. “2,260 second doses to go before all patients aged 50 and over along with clinically extremely vulnerable individuals will have received both jabs.” These are the people who are in the first phase priority groups.
https://tinyurl.com/ytx7tsn9
As far as I am aware, the roll out continues at the GP surgeries. It’s just that they are concentrating on second doses for the first phase priority groups. I assume that once this is complete, they will then commence onto the “second phase group” i.e adults aged 18 to 49.
With regards to Alderly Park, I assume you are getting confused with a separate article published on Saturday 22nd May ....”All over 30’s now urged to book vaccination at Alderley Park”. This was a call to those in the “second phase group” who had not received a first dose.
The government is NOT discriminating against those without smart phones and is NOT saying that you need a digital vaccination certificate to travel abroad. The way to demonstrate your COVID-19 vaccination status is fully explained on http://www.gov.uk.
See: https://tinyurl.com/cccytb7w
It states that there are currently three ways on how to access your COVID-19 vaccination status.
1) Using the NHS App (i.e. a smartphone)
2) Using the NHS website (i.e. a desktop/laptop computer, tablet or smartphone)
3) By calling 119. (i.e. any type of phone)
Anybody can call 119 to request a letter to confirm their COVID-19 vaccination status.
It goes on to state:
“….Request a letter only if you; have been fully vaccinated by the NHS in England (you should wait 5 working days after your second dose); are planning to travel in the next 4 weeks to a country that requires evidence of COVID-19 vaccination; cannot access the digital service via the NHS App. We expect the letter to take up to 7 working days to reach you…...”
However, the 130 bus is hourly Mon to Fri daytime, 2 hourly Sat and doesn't run at all on Sundays. That means for those without cars it's easier for the retired people to access Alderley Park, not those of working age. It's even more challenging for those from Chelford who only have a 2 hourly bus service to Macclesfield and then need to catch another bus to Alderley Park. That could end up being a full day trip.
There are vaccination hubs operating in the Altrincham area but I don't know if those registered with the CHAW practice are allowed to use them or whether they are just for those registered with practices in Trafford. If Wilmslow residents can use them there is an hourly bus service to Altrincham on Saturday and a 2 hourly service on Sunday, so they might be easier for working age people without cars to use even if in on paper they aren't the most local ones.
Some of the under 40s who have a bike might feel fit enough to cycle to Alderley Park but if the possible side effects include muscle pain and fatigue, is planning to cycle back afterwards a good idea?