People aged 56 to 59 in the West Midlands are being invited to book a life-saving Covid jab this week as the NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, continues to gather pace. The latest batch of letters have been sent after more than 8 in ten people aged 65 to 69 took up the offer of a jab.
NHS staff have vaccinated more than 18 million people across England, meaning more than one third of the adult population, have already received the life-saving jab.
Alison Tonge, Regional Director of Commissioning at NHS England and NHS Improvement in the Midlands, said:
“We are now inviting people aged 56 to 59 to get their jabs and I urge everyone eligible to come forward as soon as possible. The NHS vaccine programme is committed to protecting the country against coronavirus and it is testament to our incredible staff that we can now move on to the next age group.
“The vaccines are both safe and effective, so if anybody who is eligible but hasn’t been vaccinated yet, I’d urge them to go online or call 119 and get themselves booked in.”
People receiving the letters are invited to go online to the national booking service to arrange a jab at a time and location that is convenient for them. The booking service can be accessed at http://www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination. Those who cannot go online can call 119 free of charge.
Since the NHS became the first health service anywhere in the world to give out a Covid-19 vaccine in December last year, when 90-year old Maggie Keenan got her jab in Coventry, more than 1.8 million people in the West Midlands have had their first dose.
The NHS is vaccinating in line with JCVI guidance which sees people invited to be vaccinated in order of risk, which increases with age and people aged between 50 and 55 are set to be invited shortly.
People can use the national booking service to reserve a slot at an NHS Vaccination Centre or one of the pharmacy-led services across the country.
Appointments are staggered to allow for social distancing and people are being asked not to turn up early to avoid creating queues.
Everyone will receive a health status check and a pre-vaccination assessment before they have their jab.
