Anyone aged 32-plus, or who will turn 32 before 1 July, can book their appointment at NHS. The vaccine is also available to the clinically extremely vulnerable, people with a learning disability, frontline health and social care workers and people in receipt of Carer's Allowance or who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person.
Residents who are eligible for, but have not yet had, their first jab are asked to get it as a matter of urgency. People are also reminded of the importance of getting their second dose when it is due so that they receive maximum protection against the deadly virus.
Councillor Jasbir Jaspal, the City of Wolverhampton Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing, said: “The vaccine is the best protection we have against Covid-19 and it’s good news that anyone aged 32 and over can now book theirs.
“It’s important to remember that, while things are looking much better than they were a few months ago, the virus hasn’t gone away. Over 2,000 people a day are still testing positive for Covid-19 and we’ve seen that the new, more transmissable variant of concern first identified in India has led to a big increase in infection rates in other parts of the country.
“Public Health England said at the weekend that the Pfizer-BioNTech
and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines are highly effective against this new variant once people have had both doses, so it’s incredibly important people are fully vaccinated as soon as possible.
“If you are eligible and haven’t already, please book your first jab – and make sure you go back for your second dose when it is due.”
For more information about the vaccine, including the answers to frequently asked questions, please visit Covid-19 Vaccine or NHS. People will need to register with a GP surgery in England in order to receive the vaccine. For more details, please visit NHS.
Councillor Jaspal added: “Please remember that even once you have had both doses of the vaccine, you must still continue to adhere to the measures the Government has put in place to stop the spread of Covid-19, and follow the Hands, Face, Space and Fresh Air guidance. Please also get a regular Covid-19 rapid test to reassure yourselves and others that you don’t have the virus.”
For details of rapid testing, please visit Lateral Flow Home Test Kits. Anyone with symptoms of Covid-19, which include a fever, a new continuous cough or a change to the sense of taste or smell, must immediately self-isolate and book a PCR test by visiting GOV.UK or calling 119.
The latest information and guidance around coronavirus is available at GOV.UK and on the council’s own coronavirus pages at Coronavirus advice and information. Further details of the restrictions currently in place, and the answers to frequently asked questions, are available at Covid Alert.
