Rochdale borough reaches 100k vaccination milestone

Middleton resident Peter Insley is vaccinated at the Number One Riverside vaccination clinic, Rochdale

The 100,000th Covid-19 vaccine dose has been administered in the borough of Rochdale.

The milestone was reached when 86-year-old Middleton resident Peter Insley received his jab at Rochdale’s Number One Riverside vaccination clinic.

Nearly half of the borough’s residents have now received at least one covid-19 vaccine, including over 90 percent of people aged 65 and over.

In a further boost every resident over the age of 50, all frontline health staff, care home staff and anyone with an underlying health condition have been offered at least one dose of the vaccine.

Peter spoke of his pride at being the recipient of the landmark vaccination. He said: “It is a really special moment for me to receive the 100,000th vaccine dose. I am really proud, honoured and overwhelmed.

“I have nothing but praise for the whole vaccination process, the staff have been so helpful and friendly. It’s such a simple process, that takes a few moments out of your day to provide you with vital protection. I felt absolutely fine, the whole experience was really positive and I would recommend having the vaccine to anyone.”

Doctor Mo Jiva MBE, lead clinician at Rochdale Health Alliance (RHA), said: “This is a momentous milestone. Peter is one of tens of thousands of residents successfully vaccinated, since we began inviting people to receive the jab back in December. To vaccinate so many people is a credit to everyone involved at the Rochdale, Heywood, Littleborough and Middleton centres. It’s been a real team effort and the hard work continues, to ensure more residents receive this vital protection from the virus.”

Dr Chris Duffy, chair of NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It’s fantastic that so many people in the Rochdale borough are now better protected against Covid-19. We’d like to thank every single person who has played their part and come forward to receive their vaccine, as well as those involved in organising our vaccination programme, administering the vaccine and volunteering to help.”

Any resident who had their first vaccination at a local vaccination centre eleven weeks ago or more, and has yet to receive an invite for their second vaccine dose, should book an appointment by telephoning 0300 303 0355 or email hmrccg.hmr.enquiries@nhs.net

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.

Further information about the vaccination programme is at www.rochdale.gov.uk/CovidVaccine