Community COVID19 vaccinations to be rolled out in Oldham from next week
The location of the vaccination hubs has yet to be confirmed.
Residents are now being invited to receive the Covid-19 vaccine which is being rolled out in Oldham next week.
The distribution of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine is set to be the biggest mass vaccination programme in the history of the NHS.
Over the coming weeks and months residents of all ages in the borough will be offered the vaccine.
The first to be offered the vaccination from Tuesday, December 15 will be residents aged 80 and above.
They will take place at a site in the east of Oldham, but the location has not yet been publicly confirmed.
It is hoped that there will also be other sites made available in the borough in both Royton and Chadderton to increase the accessibility for people living in different areas.
From today, representatives from Team Oldham have begun calling eligible residents to offer them the vaccine,
People will be contacted directly by a central call centre when it is their turn to be vaccinated.
However residents are being urged not to contact the NHS or the council about booking appointments.
There have already been concerns about residents being contacted by scammers who are offering vaccine appointments at a price, or directing them to unauthorised sites.
“The vaccine is safe and has gone through many months of testing before reaching this stage,” a council spokesperson said.
“The callers booking vaccinations will not ask for any other personal details other than asking to confirm names. They certainly will not ask for any money.”
When it is the turn of someone to be vaccinated they will be contacted from an Oldham 0161 770 number, and the caller will state they are ringing on behalf of their GP to sort out booking a vaccine appointment.
The caller will then offer dates and times for them to attend clinic and give the location of the site where a resident will receive it, which may not be their usual health surgery.
Call handlers will also be given the time, date and location for the second dose of the vaccination if a person is receiving the Pfizer vaccination.
Bosses say it is ‘vital’ that people return and and keep their second appointment 21 days later.
Once people have received the vaccination they must not drive for 15 minutes after and will need to remain in clinic until that time has elapsed.
Nationwide, vaccinations will be distributed based on a priority system with older people, NHS and care staff being vaccinated first.
This will be followed by at-risk medical groups and then the population at large.