Covid-19 vaccine programme faces delays in Rochdale and Salford

People in Rochdale have had their coronavirus jab appointments cancelled due to a delay in the delivery of the vaccine.

The over-80s and health and care workers are currently being invited for immunisation at one of the borough’s three vaccination hubs at Number One Riverside, Heywood Phoenix Centre and Middleton Health Centre.

To date more than 3,000 first doses have been administered in the borough.

But supply problems have meant a number of appointments scheduled for this week have had to be rearranged.

Public health consultant Wendy Meston told a Covid 19 Engagement board meeting that logistical problems were at times causing ‘an awful lot of problems’.

She said: “One of the key challenges for the vaccination programme is the supplies.

“It is a ‘push model’ as they call it – so, in other words, we can’t order it.

“Although we could say when our sites were ready to be up and running – and obviously we have got the three sites up and running now – but we can’t order the vaccine, they actually deliver the vaccine to us.

“And that is still emerging and can be very difficult. We can often get short notice and some last minute changes. That causes an awful lot of problems for our residents and our primary care staff running the programme.”

But as the programme is ramped up across the country – with the government aiming to vaccinate the top four priority groups by mid-February – it is hoped the system in Rochdale will gather speed.

No vaccine deliveries in Salford 'for at least 10 days'

Salford’s community vaccination programme has faced delays after no deliveries of vaccines were made for at least 10 days since Christmas.

There were no vaccines delivered between Christmas and Tuesday, January 5.

In total, 4,423 people had already been vaccinated in Salford by Christmas Eve according to the city’s mayor Paul Dennett who tweeted the news that day.

This includes 2,197 people aged 80 and above as well as health and social care workers who were vaccinated at Clarendon Leisure Centre by Christmas Eve.

But the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that there were no further coronavirus vaccinations at the centre by Tuesday of this week.

Salford councillors were told at a health scrutiny meeting today (Wednesday) that all over-80s should have now been offered their first dose of the vaccine.

But the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that some Salford residents who are over 80 years old have still not been given an appointment.

Gillian McLauchlan, deputy director of public health at Salford council, told a scrutiny committee today that the programme has had some ‘teething’ issues.

She said: “We have no control over vaccine supplies. We are told literally two days in advance, ‘your next lot of vaccines are coming’.

“We were supposed to get a vaccine supplied and I think it’s been slightly delayed so we’ve had to re-jig some of the appointments for that."

At Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s weekly press conference it was revealed that approximately 43,455 people had so far been vaccinated in the region.