South Tyneside reaches 26,000 covid vaccines as programmes in borough prove a success

The rollout for the borough started in December 2020, with jabs available from dedicated vaccination centres, as well as the North East’s two mass vaccination centres, in Washington and Newcastle, and a door-to-door service.

The treatment is also being given to essential carers in some of the most vulnerable households, who might otherwise be torn between their duty to a loved one or the need to protect themselves from the virus.

“At-home vaccination is rolling out and we’ve just passed the second weekend of that,” said Tracey Dixon, the leader of South Tyneside Council.

“The intention is to do home vaccinations to between 1,400 – 1,500 residents, as well as ‘home-tied carers’, so if somebody is having the vaccination and they have a home-tied carer, they will vaccinate the home-tied carer at the same time.

“Up to (Monday, February 8) there were 26,000 residents who have received their first vaccine.

“The rollout programme is going very well in the borough with the three hubs and the Nightingale Hospital available and accessible to all residents.”

Cllr Dixon was speaking at a meeting of the council’s Overview and Scrutiny Coordinating and Call-in Committee, which was held by videolink and broadcast via YouTube.

Pharmacists in the borough, who had been leading efforts to get vaccines to the housebound, had expected to have reached all 1,500 by the end of the weekend on Sunday, February 7.

It comes as the Gazette and its sister titles run the Shot in the Arm campaign, calling on the Government to enlist the UK’s network of 11,000 community pharmacies to help administer the covid vaccine, which would boost capacity and bring jabs to within minutes of people’s homes.

Following this, focus is due to shift to those in the priority groups who have so far missed out on a jab, including people recovering from a previous case of COVID-19.

Speaking to the committee, Cllr Dixon set out further details of the council’s post-pandemic recovery plan, which she hopes could create 10,000 jobs over the next five years.

She said: “South Tyneside has been hit disproportionately hard by the pandemic for a variety of reasons, not least because of its coastal community, heavily reliant on highly impacted sectors like tourism and culture.

“The Bank of England expects the UK’s coronavirus vaccine programme to drive a rapid rebound of the economy later this year, with economists predicting a 4.2 per cent dip in quarter one, before a u-turn in economic activity.

“We must ensure that locally, globally and regionally we are well placed to support a sustained recovery going forward.”

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