Town’s vaccination leaders answer reader Covid-19 questions

We listened and took your queries to the people tasked with delivering the vaccine to residents across Warrington

Dr Dan Bunstone, GP and clinical director of the Halliwell Jones vaccination site, and Dr Laura Mount, GP and clinical director of the Orford Jubilee Hub vaccination site have generously took time out of their busy schedules to answer your questions.

Here is what they said:

Q. Why aren't supermarket staff being vaccinated? We see hundreds of different people every day who could be spreading Covid-19 with no symptoms and then we have to go home to our families.

A. We understand that many people are anxious and keen to get the vaccine as soon as possible so both they and their loved ones are protected from the virus.

Supermarket staff provide a vital role.

Vaccination teams have to follow the guidance and rules that are set out for us by the NHS.

Vaccinations are being delivered according to priority groups identified by the Joint Committee of Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

The JCVI states the priority is to minimise Covid-19 deaths as much as possible and to protect our health and social care staff and systems.

Evidence shows the older you are, the more at risk you are from COVID-19 so the vaccination rollout to patients is based on age.

The order in which coronavirus vaccinations will take place in Warrington

Q. What priority groups are being vaccinated at present?

A. Locally, we have been working incredibly hard to roll out the vaccination programme and we are on target to have offered first doses of the vaccine to everyone in the top four priority groups by next week.

This includes care home residents and staff, residents over 70, frontline health and social care staff and people who have been shielding and classed as clinically extremely vulnerable.

Q. When are vaccinations for the over 65s likely to start?

A. Very soon. Once we get the permission, we will start to invite residents over 65 to be vaccinated.

Please be reassured that you will be contacted when it is your turn to book your vaccination.

Some practices will call and some will send a text – please remember that the NHS does not charge for the vaccination.

Q. Why are we vaccinating young health care workers before clinically vulnerable?

A. Patient-facing health and social care staff have been prioritised because they are more at risk of exposure to the virus.

Also, protecting health and social care staff from the virus, also helps to protect the people they care for too.

Frontline healthcare workers at Warrington Hospital are receiving their coronavirus vaccinationa

We are pleased to say that many local healthcare workers have already been vaccinated, which will protect our vulnerable patients.

These staff will still need to be thinking ‘hands, face, space’ at all times, wearing the correct PPE and washing their hands regularly.

In Warrington, many clinically vulnerable people have already been vaccinated, but if you believe you should have been vaccinated already, send an eConsult (online form on your practice website) to your GP and ask them to double check your medical records.

Q. Why is there nothing in place for shielding people’s families? They have to go to work every day with the fear of bringing the virus home.

A. We understand it has been a worrying time for anyone who is shielding or their families, but all local patients who are clinically extremely vulnerable should now have been offered an appointment for a vaccination.

If you are still waiting for a vaccination appointment, please contact your GP practice.

As stated above, the decisions about who should be prioritised for vaccinations are made nationally, and at the moment people living in a household with those who are extremely clinically vulnerable are not included in the top priority groups– although in some cases family members may be eligible in their own right.

Q. I am classed as vulnerable person who suffers from type-2 diabetes and chronic pain. How long will it be before I am contacted?

A. Please be reassured that you will be contacted very soon. We are trying to get through each priority group as quickly as we can.

Please make sure you look after yourself, follow the national rules and of course think about ‘hands, face, space’ at all times.

Doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine waiting to be administered at Orford Jubilee Hub

Q. When will foster carers get their vaccine?

A. We are awaiting national guidance on foster carers, but when we have more information about this, we will let families know.

Q. Why are we not vaccinating teachers and kids so they can return to school?

A. This is not a decision that is made at a local level here in Warrington.

The NHS is currently prioritising vaccinating those people who leading national experts (JCVI) have agreed will benefit from it the most.

We are totally committed to vaccinating all groups that we are able to as swiftly as possible, and this includes planning as groups such as this when the time comes.

Q. When will people who look after their vulnerable partner get their vaccine?

A. Vaccination centres have to follow the rules that are set out for us by the NHS.

Many people who are unpaid workers looking after loved ones will fall into priority group six (adults in at risk groups and carers).

We are about to move to vaccinate priority group five (people 65 and over) and hope to finish that group by the end of February, so it will be early March that we start to vaccinate people in at risk groups and carers.

Dr Mitch Tomonaga, GP from Helsby Street Medical Centre in Howley, helps to prepare the coronavirus vaccines for delivery to the town's care homes

If you are a full-time carer of an elderly, disabled or vulnerable person and your GP practice is not aware, please contact them to let them know.

Many carers may be in a group higher up the list due to age if they are over 65.

Q. Why is the vaccine not available for extremely clinically vulnerable children?

A. The vaccines are not currently approved for children under 16. Further trials and studies are needed to ensure that the vaccine is safe and effective for children.

However, there has been some further clarification from NHS England on which children aged between 12 and 16 on the clinically extremely vulnerable shielding list could be called.

Practices will contact families where this applies. However, it is important to state that almost all children with Covid-19 have no symptoms or mild disease.

Q. Is it true that you can still pass on Covid-19 after having the vaccine?

A. While two doses of the vaccine will reduce your chance of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19, we do not yet know whether it will stop you from catching and passing on the virus, but we do expect it to reduce this risk.

So, it is still important to follow the guidance in your local area to protect those around you.

To protect yourself and your family, friends and colleagues you still need to practice social distancing, wear a face mask, wash your hands carefully and frequently and follow the current guidance for where you live.

We will be publishing more Q&As over the coming weeks, so if you have got a question on coronavirus and its impact locally, email nathan.okell@newsquest.co.uk and we will select the best to put forward to our experts.