COVID in Congleton: One year since the first COVID-19 vaccine in Cheshire

By Alex Greensmith 7th Dec 2021

Did you know Congleton? It has been a year since the first residents of our county were eligible for a COVID-19 jab.

Cheshire's COVID-19 Vaccination Programme celebrates the one-year anniversary mark this week.

A year ago this week, Mona Thomas, then 92, became the first person in Cheshire to receive a COVID-19 vaccination outside of a clinical trial.

She received her first Pfizer/BioNTech jab in Chester on Wednesday 8 December 2020.

Since that historic moment, more than 1.3 million vaccinations have been administered across the county at GP practices, pharmacies, hospital hubs, community centres, church halls and schools.

This also saw the opening and closing of mass vaccination centres.

Despite this incredible progress, tens of thousands of eligible people remain unvaccinated and many others eligible for a second or booster jab.

Clare Watson, Accountable Officer of NHS Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "Thank you to everyone who has come forward for their vaccinations and to all the volunteers, health and care providers and wider stakeholders who have been working on the vaccination programme across Cheshire for the last 12 months.

"It continues to be an outstanding example of partnership working and community spirit.

"With Christmas just around the corner, it is really important that we are all as protected as we can be against COVID-19.

"If you're eligible, please arrange your vaccination appointments online via the National Booking Service, by calling 119 or by responding to an invitation from your local NHS service.

"In line with updated national guidance, many more people will very soon become newly-eligible for a booster dose. If you were not already eligible, please do not contact the NHS. The NHS will let you know when it is your turn to take up the offer."

The first in Congleton to be vaccinated was not revealed.

Dr Matt Tyrer, Director of Public Health at Cheshire East Council, said: "We would like to thank the residents of Cheshire East for their strong engagement with the vaccination programme, resulting in the very high uptake in the past year.

"I would urge anyone who has not been vaccinated so far to get their jab and encourage those who have already been vaccinated to go for the COVID-19 booster vaccination as soon as you are eligible to receive it."

As of publication of this article, those aged 55 and over are receiving their booster jab emails across Congleton.

Dr. Tyrer added: "Vaccination is the best thing you can do to boost your own natural defences and

protect yourself against COVID-19 and all of its variants." At least of 80.4% of people aged 12 or over have had two of the three recommended jabs in the Congleton area, as of December 5 2021. Vaccination is clinically-proven to reduce your risk of getting seriously ill from COVID-19 and your risk of catching or spreading COVID-19. As of December 2, 19.4 million Brits have had a booster jab, according to GOV.UK data. There were at least 33 recorded coronavirus cases recorded in Congleton Town for the seven days up to December 1 2021. You can book a coronavirus appointment in Congleton here. Don't miss out on Congleton's latest and greatest news. Have you signed up to the weekly Congleton Nub News newsletter? 3540 of you lovely people have signed up already. Simply enter your email address into the shaded box below. Free from pop-up ads, or unwanted surveys, Congleton Nub News is a quality online newspaper which produces 15-25 stories a week for our town. You can also find us on Facebook or Twitter.

     

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