90,734 people in the borough have now had a second Covid-19 vaccination - pop-up clinics are running again next week
Date published: 18 June 2021
Covid-19 vaccination being administered at Kashmir Youth Project
More than 90,700 people in the Rochdale borough have now received their second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine and over 131,800 people in the borough have also received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.
A number of pop-up vaccination clinics have been running this week and more are scheduled for next week. The extra clinics have been put in place across the borough to support the drive to increase vaccination take-up.
Local vaccination programme
Additional Pfizer pop-up clinics will take place at Rochdale Infirmary next week (Tuesday 22 - Friday 25 June) and there are pop-up clinics for the AstraZeneca vaccine on Wednesday 23 June and Wednesday 30 June.
People that are already booked in elsewhere should stick to their existing appointments.
The clinics at Rochdale Infirmary next week are for first doses of Pfizer vaccine only and no appointment is necessary, people can just drop in at any time while the clinic is open.
Those attending the Rochdale Infirmary drop in clinics must be 18 or over and not already have an appointment booked in anywhere else.
The AstraZeneca clinics are for a first dose for residents aged 40 and over, or second dose if you had your first more than 8 weeks ago.
Read more: Upcoming Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccine clinicsPublished: 18 June 2021
The NHS Steward Volunteers Volunteer Responders programme is looking for more steward volunteers to support the local vaccination site at Rochdale Infirmary.
Steward volunteers support with the efficient and safe movement of patients through vaccination sites, ensuring that social distancing measures are in place and identifying people who require additional support.
In his weekly update, chief executive of Rochdale Council, Steve Rumbelow informed councillors that the local infection rate is still in the top 20 nationally, and the sixth highest in Greater Manchester, noting that “there is very little difference in case numbers across age and ethnicity groups.”
He said: “Across the Northern Care Alliance hospitals, there are currently 25 Covid-19 patients admitted, 15 of whom are in intensive care. Our local contacts say that numbers are not going up very quickly but all sites are still very busy with non-Covid work.
“Demand is so high they are now struggling to accommodate people with social distancing in place. These pressures are still being replicated across our primary care sector.”
Mr Rumbelow noted that there is still an increase in demand across both adult care and children’s social care: “Adult care has also now started to see an increase in demand, similar to acute and primary care. The care home sector is stable but it’s possible we could see further closures in the system.
“Children’s social care is continuing to see very high demand with 384 referrals coming in last week – 40 per cent of these came from the police, reflecting continuing high levels of domestic abuse in the borough.
“We are also seeing increased complexity in cases but the service is managing with the added capacity we have put in.”
Finally, addressing schools, Mr Rumbelow said: “As you may expect, more cases are being found in our schools with 77 pupils testing positive this week.
“The numbers of staff affected, however, remains low. One secondary school now has two year groups of children as well as individual classes isolating at home.
“This is a picture that we haven’t seen in the last three to four months and we keep it under close monitoring, supported by public health, who are also assisting those schools with higher outbreaks to offer testing in schools.”
Case numbers in the borough have risen in the past seven days. The rate for the Rochdale borough for the week ending 11 June is 209 cases per 100,000 people, up from 143 cases per 100,000 the week before.
The NHS Covid vaccination programme is now open to anyone aged 18 or over - appointments can be booked through the NHS booking service.
Residents in the Rochdale borough in groups one to nine, which includes everyone aged 50 and over, who have not yet had their first dose of a vaccine can phone or email to book.
Residents aged 50 or over, those who have been advised to shield by the government (the clinically extremely vulnerable), people over 16 with long term conditions, carers and health and social care workers who are registered with a GP in the borough (Heywood, Littleborough, Middleton, Milnrow and Rochdale), can book an appointment at one of the four vaccination centres in the borough by calling 0300 303 0355 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm) or emailing hmrccg.hmr.enquiries@nhs.net.
Lifting lockdown
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday (14 June) that the majority of current coronavirus restrictions will remain in place in England until at least 19 July.
It was previously hoped that England would move to stage four of the government's roadmap out of lockdown on 21 June, when venues and events would be allowed to operate without capacity limits and there would have been an end to limited home gatherings of six people, or two households.
But in a press conference, Mr Johnson said that England would stay under restrictions for a further four weeks, due to a rise in infection rates following the Delta variant of Covid-19, which is spreading rapidly.
He said that the four tests set out by government that needed to be met before proceeding to the next step of the roadmap had not been met.
Where to be vaccinated?
The borough has four community vaccination centres in operation; in Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton and Littleborough. These local sites are run by groups of GPs with the support of the council and NHS Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group. Vaccinations are also being administered at Rochdale Infirmary.
There are also 11 large scale vaccination centres and 38 pharmacy led sites across the North West that residents can book through the national booking service online or over the phone.
The national booking system can not be used to book in at any of the local vaccination hubs within the borough. If it is not convenient for you to travel out of the borough for a vaccination, you can opt to wait to be invited to attend one of the local vaccination centres in the Rochdale borough instead.
When it is your turn to receive the vaccine, you will be contacted by Rochdale Health Alliance or your GP surgery and invited to go for your appointment. If you’re not registered with a GP, you will need to register with one.
You must have an appointment to receive the vaccine. You cannot just turn up at one of the vaccination service centres.
Answers to key questions around the vaccination process can be found at:
The local FAST test programme has four test sites across the borough.
Anyone who cannot work from home or comes into regular contact with the public is encouraged to take up this offer of new Find And Stop Transmission (FAST) testing to protect themselves, their loved ones, and other residents.
The FAST testing programme, which use lateral flow tests, aims to identify those who unknowingly have the virus as they have no symptoms – otherwise known as asymptomatic.
As part of the national roadmap out of restrictions, the government is asking the public to take-up twice weekly FAST testing. This is quick and easy to do and you will be playing your part in helping to stop the spread of the virus, while teams work on the vaccine rollout.
You can take part at your local FAST testing site or through community collect packs.
Read more: Covid-19 testing packs available across the boroughPublished: 21 April 2021
FAST tests are only for people showing no symptoms. You must not attend if you have any symptoms. Tests are
free and there is no need to book you can simply turn up at one of the sites across the borough:
Rochdale – Nye Bevan House, Maclure Road, Rochdale, OL11 1DN
- Mon to Thurs 9am - 5pm
- Fri 10am - 6pm
- Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm
Heywood – York House Surgery, York Street, Heywood, OL10 4NN
- Mon 10am - 6pm
- Tues to Fri 9am - 5pm
- Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm
Middleton – Bowlee Sports Centre, Windermere Road, Middleton, M24 4LA
- Mon to Fri 8am - 4pm
- Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm
Littleborough – Hare Hill Bowling Club, Townhouse Road Littleborough, OL15 9BG
- Mon to Fri 8am - 4pm
- Sat, Sun & bank holidays 9am - 1pm
Every Monday (except Easter Monday) at Alkrington Community Centre, Hardfield Rd, Middleton, M24 1TQ – Open 11am to 6pm.
If you have Covid-19 symptoms please do not attend one of the FAST test sites. You should book a test online or by phoning 101.
The borough has three local test centres:
- Rochdale - in the car park at Rochdale Leisure Centre, Entwisle Road, Rochdale OL16 2HZ
- Middleton - in the marquee on the Market Place Car Park next to Middleton Arena, Old Hall Street, Middleton M24 1AG
- Heywood - Heywood Civic Centre, LCpl Stephen Shaw MC Way, Heywood OL10 1LW
You must drive, walk or cycle to the site - do not use a taxi or public transport. If this is not possible, you'll need to order yourself a home test.
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