Nottingham rolls out the Covid-19 vaccine. Have you had yours yet?

We don't know about you, but we were thrilled when we heard the news that a vaccine for Coronavirus had been created and was ready to roll out. 

The last year has been hard to describe, but we are pretty certain that we are right when we say that the whole nation can't wait to be able to get back to a little bit of normal!

Although we know that we can't do this just yet, and it's still vital to remain in lockdown for the moment, we can't help but see the glimmer of positive things to come. 

This vaccine has brought with it a little bit of hope and knowledge that we can, and will, get back to normal at some point in the not too distant future. We will be able to see friends and family again. We will be able to go out in public without having to socially distance and we will be able to gather together again. 

Have you had your vaccine yet?

As you may know, the vaccine is being rolled out in an organised way. It is being given to the over eighties, care home residents and front line NHS and care staff initially.

The Government target is to get these main groups of vulnerable people vaccinated by mid February so they can begin to roll out the vaccine to more of the population.

Have you had your invite yet?

Are you one of the first to be invited to receive the vaccine? If you are over 80, you should have received a letter in the post to invite you to attend an appointment to get vaccinated. 

If you haven't yet received a letter, you are being urged not to call your GP to request an appointment. You will be contacted as soon as the most vulnerable people have been vaccinated. 

If you have received a letter, or as soon as you do, make sure you get booked in and attend your appointment.

Nottingham now has seven vaccination sites across the city. The three main hospitals in the city; the QMC, the City and Sherwood all have a vaccination centre, along with four community vaccination hubs that have been set up across the county in places such as Ashfield and Gamston. 

The most important thing is for everyone to get their vaccination. The sooner this happens, the sooner we can begin to return to normal. 

It is important that you make arrangements to get to your appointment safely. But it is also important to remember that if you are feeling poorly or experiencing symptoms of Covid-19 you should rearrange your appointment and follow the Government guidance on what to do next. That information can be found here.

Don't be a no show

Sadly it is being reported that a huge number of people are not showing up for their vaccination. This is having a huge impact. It is not only slowing down the process of getting the country vaccinated, but it also means that a lot of vaccine is going to waste. 

The Pfizer vaccine, for example, only has a certain length of time to be used before it will no longer be effective. So when people don't attend appointments, this vaccine is wasted.

In this scenario, some centres have been able to call in members of the local Police force to take the vaccine instead of it being wasted. However, the intended recipient is where the vaccine really needs to be going first and so it is really important to attend your vaccination once booked. 

So, although it is still a while off yet, there is hope and we all need to do our bit to help find our way out of this pandemic. 

In the meantime, it is critical that we remain vigilant and stick to the Government guidelines to ensure that we all get back to normal as soon as possible. 

Remember to stay connected with each other over the phone or video calls and most importantly, stay home as much as you can, and stay safe. If you have to leave the home for whatever reason, don't forget the all import Hands. Face. Space. It is this, combined with the vaccination programme, that will get us out of this pandemic. 

Together, we can get there.