37,600 people in the borough have received second Covid-19 vaccination

Date published: 23 April 2021

More than 37,600 people in the Rochdale borough have now received their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, as of Friday (23 April).

Over 102,000 people in the borough have also received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
 

Read more: Rochdale borough reaches 100k vaccination milestonePublished: 13 April 2021

Residents aged 45-49 can now book appointments through the NHS booking service.

Phase 2 of the vaccination programme is now underway and people aged 45 to 49 in England can now book appointments at one of the national large-scale vaccination sites through the NHS booking service.

The Greater Manchester NHS Vaccination Centre at the Etihad Campus in East Manchester is the closest large-scale vaccination site to the borough.

If it is not convenient for you to travel so far for a vaccination, you can opt to wait to be invited to attend one of the local vaccination centres in the Rochdale borough instead.

 

Residents in the Rochdale borough in groups one to nine, which includes everyone aged 50 and over, who have not yet had their first dose of a vaccine can phone or email to book.

Residents aged 50 or over, those who have been advised to shield by the government (the clinically extremely vulnerable), people over 16 with long term conditions, carers and health and social care workers who are registered with a GP in the borough (Heywood, Littleborough, Middleton, Milnrow and Rochdale), can book an appointment at one of the four vaccination centres in the borough by calling 0300 303 0355 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm) or emailing hmrccg.hmr.enquiries@nhs.net.

 

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Progress of local vaccination programme

Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, has confirmed that the vaccination team is making good progress with second doses.

In his weekly update to councillors, Mr Rumbelow said: “More than 90% of people in priority groups two to four (people aged over 70 and all adults with serious health conditions) have now received at least one dose of the vaccine. We are also making good progress with second doses, which at the moment is the main focus of the local vaccination programme.

"We hope that we will receive supplies for more first doses to be given locally in May.

"In our care homes 93% of residents have received their first dose and 65% have received both doses. Around 80% of care home staff have received at least one dose. Almost three quarters (74%) of people with learning disabilities have received their first dose and work is being done to vaccinate women living in refuges.

"After several weeks of lockdown and more than 100,000 vaccine doses being administered we are finally now beginning to see some positive signs in terms of both the infection rate and serious illness. The rate on 17 April was 41 cases per 100,000 people, which was the fourth highest in GM and falling down the national league table. We are now reporting around 13 cases per day, compared to almost 200 a day seen during the height of the pandemic in November last year.

"However, we have not yet seen the full impact of shops and pubs reopening and children returning to schools after the Easter holidays. The highest rate is now among our 11 to 16-year-olds. The rate among our Asian population has halved over the past seven days, which is also very encouraging.

"The first week of hospitality and non-essential retail reopening has gone relatively well with only a couple of premises struggling to adapt. There is still some non-compliance being reported in close contact businesses, particularly nail bars, which the public protection team is looking into. Along with the police we are now planning for the next step along the road map out of lockdown which is due to be 17 May when pubs, cafés and restaurants can restart serving customers indoors.

"The restart grant (which supports re-opening businesses in the non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure, personal care and accommodation sectors) is now up and running but the additional fraud checks put in place by the government mean the processing period is longer than for previous grants. Despite this, we have already made 593 payments totalling £4.3million. We are continuing to promote the grants to eligible businesses across the borough and our take-up rate compares favourably with other GM councils."

 

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Case numbers in the borough have fallen again for the third week in a row. The rate for the Rochdale borough for the week ending 17 April is 41.4 cases per 100,000 people, down from 59.8 cases per 100,000 the week before. There were an average of 37.4 cases per 100,000 people across Greater Manchester in the week ending 17 April, down from 45.3 the week before.
 

Read more: Infection rates fall for third week in Rochdale and Greater ManchesterPublished: 22 April 2021

The age group with the most new cases in the Rochdale borough remains 10-19 year-olds and the wards with the most cases include Central Rochdale, Norden, Kingsway, West Heywood and East Middleton.

 

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Who is eligible?

Phase 2 of the vaccination programme is being prioritised in order of age, now that all at-risk groups in phase 1 have been offered at least one dose.

The priority groups that are in phase 1 of the vaccination programme include everyone aged 50 or above, those with underlying health conditions and health care workers.

The number of people in the Rochdale borough included in phase 1 is believed to be around 120,000.

 

 

Lifting lockdown

The latest stage of relaxing lockdown restrictions began on Monday 12 April, with more restrictions due to be lifted next month.

Non-essential shops, hairdressers, barbers, beauty salons and indoor leisure facilities (such as swimming pools and gyms) have reopened and hospitality venues can open for outdoor service, with no requirement for a substantial meal to be served alongside alcohol, and no curfew.

The number of visitors permitted to visit care home residents has been increased to two per resident, and all children can attend indoor children’s activities.

However, there are no changes to the social contact rules and many restrictions are still in place. Outdoor gatherings are still limited to six people or two households and meeting up indoors with anyone you do not live with or have not formed a support bubble with is not yet permitted - this will not be permitted until 17 May at the earliest.

People should continue to work from home where they can, and minimise domestic travel where they can. International holidays are still illegal.
 

Read more: Here's what you can do from today with easing of lockdown restrictionsPublished: 12 April 2021

 

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Where to be vaccinated?

The borough has four community vaccination centres in operation; in Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and Littleborough. Vaccinations are also being administered at Rochdale Infirmary.

Residents may be invited to have the vaccination at the Greater Manchester NHS Vaccination Centre at the Etihad Campus in East Manchester, one of the national large-scale vaccination sites.

The Greater Manchester centre is an additional option for people, who, once they have been contacted to make an appointment, can book through the national booking service online or over the phone. If it is not convenient for you to travel so far for a vaccination, you can opt to wait to be invited to attend one of the local vaccination centres in the Rochdale borough instead.

The local vaccination programme is being run by groups of GPs with the support of the council and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group.

When it is your turn to receive the vaccine, you will be contacted by Rochdale Health Alliance or your GP surgery and invited to go for your appointment. If you’re not registered with a GP, you will need to register with one.

You must have an appointment to receive the vaccine. You cannot just turn up at one of the vaccination service centres.

Answers to key questions around the vaccination process can be found at:

• www.rochdale.gov.uk/covidvaccine

 

 

A FAST test programme was set up in the borough in January, with four test sites across the borough.

Anyone who cannot work from home or comes into regular contact with the public is encouraged to take up this offer of new Find And Stop Transmission (FAST) testing to protect themselves, their loved ones, and other residents.

The FAST testing programme, which use lateral flow tests, aims to identify those who unknowingly have the virus as they have no symptoms – otherwise known as asymptomatic.

As part of the national roadmap out of restrictions, the government is asking the public to take-up twice weekly FAST testing. This is quick and easy to do and you will be playing your part in helping to stop the spread of the virus, while teams work on the vaccine rollout.

You can take part at your local FAST testing site or through community collect packs.
 

Read more: Covid-19 testing packs available across the boroughPublished: 21 April 2021

FAST tests are only for people showing no symptoms. You must not attend if you have any symptoms. Tests are
free and there is no need to book you can simply turn up at one of the sites across the borough:

Rochdale – Nye Bevan House, Maclure Road, Rochdale, OL11 1DN

• Mon to Thurs 9am - 5pm
• Fri 10am - 6pm
• Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm

Heywood – York House Surgery, York Street, Heywood, OL10 4NN

• Mon 10am - 6pm
• Tues to Fri 9am - 5pm
• Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm

Middleton – Bowlee Sports Centre, Windermere Road, Middleton, M24 4LA

• Mon to Fri 8am - 4pm
• Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm

Littleborough – Hare Hill Bowling Club, Townhouse Road Littleborough, OL15 9BG

• Mon to Fri 8am - 4pm
• Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm

Every Monday (except Easter Monday) at Alkrington Community Centre, Hardfield Rd, Middleton, M24 1TQ – Open 11am to 6pm.

If you have Covid-19 symptoms please do not attend one of the FAST test sites. You should book a test online or by phoning 101.

 

 

The borough has three local test centres:

• Rochdale - in the car park at Rochdale Leisure Centre, Entwisle Road, Rochdale OL16 2HZ
• Middleton - in the marquee on the Market Place Car Park next to Middleton Arena, Old Hall Street, Middleton M24 1AG
• Heywood - Heywood Civic Centre, LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood OL10 1LW

You must drive, walk or cycle to the site - do not use a taxi or public transport. If this is not possible, you'll need to order yourself a home test.

• www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test