VACCINE NEWS
The roll-out of COVID-19 vaccinations in England continues at pace with close to 10 million doses now administered and all care home residents having been offered a jab. Nine in ten people over 80 have had their jab along with three quarters of people aged 75-79. In the coming weeks it is expected that those in younger age groups will receive their invitations earlier than originally expected and during March millions of elderly people should receive their second doses.
Currently, vaccination is done using either the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Oxford-AstraZeneca version. The Moderna vaccine has received regulatory approval and is likely to be deployed in the spring. Last week came news of two further vaccines having been developed, the Novavax and the Johnson & Johnson-Janssen, the latter requiring only a single dose. Both are expected to be available in the spring. The Government has placed a total of 247 million across all 5 versions of the vaccines.
On 1st February it was announced that the UK Government’s multi-million pound investment in Valneva’s facility in West Lothian has resulted in the manufacturing of a further vaccine which is currently at the trials stage and, assuming regulatory approval, could deliver 60 million doses during the second half of 2021. A further 40 million doses would be delivered in 2022 thereby bolstering the UK’s portfolio and providing future flexibility should it become necessary to revaccinate any of the UK population.
For the latest news on vaccine roll-out at our local surgeries we suggest you visit their website.
Patients at the Pulborough Medical Group please see here: –https://www.pmgdoctors.co.uk
Patients at The Arundel Surgery please see here: – Arundel Surgery
NATIONAL LOCKDOWN GUIDELINES
For the latest comprehensive guidance on what you can and cannot do during the current stay-at-home lockdown please see here: – https://www.gov.uk/guidance/
EAT OUT TO HELP OUT
In August last year, to support the hospitality sector and the many thousands of jobs within it, the Government launched the Eat Out To Help Out Scheme whereby on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the month customers in restaurants, pubs, bars and cafes could get 50% off the cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks up to a total value of £10 per person at participating establishments. This proved to be a highly popular and successful initiative as can been seen by the statistics just released by the Government showing the take up rate for the various regions of the country which can be viewed here:
Eat Out to Help Out statistics – geographic breakdown – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
Keep well and stay safe and if you need help with shopping or prescriptions please contact:
Fr. Peter Mallinson (Bury) 839057 or Ken & Diana Rowsell (West Burton) 831475
