York health chief ‘desperate’ for more residents to get jabs as Covid hospital admissions rise fast
A York health chief is “desperate” for more residents to get their flu jabs and Covid boosters amid fears a spike in infections could pile yet more pressure on the NHS this winter.
Director of public health Sharon Stoltz said York was “way below” where it was last year in terms of vaccination uptake across all age groups and communities.
She said: “There are significant concerns that people are not coming forward for their Covid and flu vaccinations in large enough numbers.
The health chief told a health scrutiny meeting it was now harder to tell how widespread Covid infections are because of the end of mass testing, but that September and October saw a “rapid increase” in positive tests and a rise in hospital admissions.
Vaccination levels are a concern across the country, with flu vaccine uptake among pre-schoolers, pregnant women and under 65s in a clinical risk group being particular concerns, according to the UK Health Security Agency.
Rates of hospitalisations and intensive care admissions due to flu are rising fastest in children under five.
Anita Dobson, a nurse consultant in public health, said the take up of the flu vaccine among children, which is administered via a nasal spray, was a “great concern”.
She added: “All families that have got a two to three year old that have not had a vaccination will be written out to – that’s how serious it is at the moment.
“Also, we’ve got a very low uptake at the moment with care workers.
“From having the vaccine to getting optimum protection takes two weeks. We know that flu usually peaks around Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve – we’re at a crucial time now for people to really come forward to be vaccinated.”
Walk-in service
Nationwide, around 33 million people are eligible for the flu vaccine and 26 million people are eligible for the Covid booster.
NHS guidance says the winter Covid booster helps speed up recovery and prevent serious illness caused by the virus. Protection from the Covid vaccine fades over time which is why many people are being offered another dose.
Covid vaccinations are available from the Askham Bar centre and from any of the citywide pharmacies.
Nimbuscare have extended their offer for people to get their Covid booster vaccination by allowing people to walk in with no appointment needed.
Askham Bar is open from 8.30am – 7pm, Monday to Friday, and from 8.30am – 1pm on Saturdays.
Coun Carol Runciman, City of York’s executive member for health and adult social care, said: “Everyone eligible should get boosted for both Covid-19 and flu, as soon as possible, to protect themselves, their loved ones and the vulnerable people they meet in the run up to Christmas.”
The reason I didnt go for a flu jab is that I believe it is fundementally wrong to change our society from one where nobody used to get a flu jab to one where everyone feels like they must get a flu jab including young children.
The reason I didnt go for a covid jab is that I had one in July and the system of inviting people for jabs is set up to be an automated computer program that has no understanding of indiuvidual situations or circumstances. The robotic software asked me to get a covid jab in September…which was 8 weeks after my previous jab. These robotic softwares are supposed to replace GPs. A GP would understand that I require a covid jab each summer before I spend 2 weeks squashed abaginst 4000 people and they would be able to set up a yearly prescrition that I get a jab each summer for that.
A computer software cannot do that for me. It cant understand me. All it can do it blindly command me to do something.GPs should not be replaced by blind robots issuing automated commands.
Perhaps they should get better volunteer staff at Askham Bar. We wouldn’t go there again after three different poor experiences.