Within the speech, the government explained that they are on track to meet their goal of offering a vaccine to everyone in priority groups 1 to 4 by 15 February 2021 – before moving onto the other JCVI priority groups.
Now if you live in England, and are 70 and over, and have not yet got an appointment to get vaccinated, the government is urging those people to contact the NHS. They can do this by using the link here.
Or if you can’t get online then those persons can call 119 or can speak to their local GP practice.
Local VCSE organisations supporting older aged communities may want to check their beneficiaries have taken forward this opportunity.
In addition, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care informed the public that the government is expanding the offer of regular workplace testing to all businesses with over 50 employees, in sectors that are currently open.
For now, you must work from home if you can. But if you can’t, the government wants to make sure they are providing as much certainty and confidence as possible. On that basis they are urging all eligible employers to take up this offer.
Employers can register to order coronavirus tests for their employees, if eligible, using the link here.
The full coronavirus briefing speech can be accessed here.
On the same day the Department of Health and Social Care and Nadhim Zahawi MP published a press release, in which the Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi explains why the current vaccine rollout is vitally important for protecting the healthcare system.
Within the press release the government explained that recent studies show the vaccines being deployed right now across the UK appear to work well against the COVID-19 variants currently dominant in the UK. In terms of other variants, not in the UK, the government stressed that even where a vaccine has reduced efficacy in preventing infection there may still be good efficacy against severe disease, hospitalisation, and death. Explaining this is vitally important for protecting the healthcare system.
The full press release can be found here.