Vaccination bus to give eligible residents a further opportunity to get Covid boosted

The Living Well bus, operated by the Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is travelling to the heart of communities across Cheshire and Merseyside during the autumn primarily providing Covid-19 boosters, as well as the opportunity to catch-up on first or second doses on a drop-in basis.

The bus will be able to offer walk-in booster vaccinations to residents over 65 years or over as well as those who are carers or clinically vulnerable and a chance for people to catch-up missed vaccinations.

Operating from its base in the town centre on Church St, St Helens outside Boots the Chemist, the bus is supported by NHS staff as well as St Helens Health Champions who are on hand to chat about any health concerns people may have and offer signposting where needed. The bus will be operational from 10.30am to 4.30pm.  Vaccination supplies are limited so residents are advised to arrive early if they can.

In the last week in September, the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the borough had risen. The latest official NHS figures for the area up to (10^th of October) showed that there were 180 Covid-19 cases.

In the last week in September, Cheshire and Merseyside region had 2,140 new Covid-19 cases confirmed during the same 7-day period with 10 deaths linked to Covid-19.

Symptoms of covid-19 include:

• Continuous cough
• Sore throat
• High temperature, fever or chills
• Loss of, of change in, your normal sense of taste or smell
• Shortness of breath
• Unexplained tiredness, lack of energy
• Muscle aches or pains that are not due to exercise
• Not wanting to eat or not feeling hungry
• Headache that is unusual or longer lasting than usual
• Sore throat, stuffy or runny nose
• Diarrhoea, feeling sick or being sick

Try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if you have symptoms of COVID-19 and either:

• you have a high temperature
• diarrhoea or vomiting that could be due to having an infection
• you do not feel well enough to go to work or do your normal activities

Councillor Anthony Burns, St Helens Borough Council Cabinet Member for Wellbeing, Culture and Heritage said: "The return of the vaccination bus in the borough is excellent news and particularly timely as we move into the colder winter period.

"We're hopeful that this will give more vulnerable residents in the community an extra chance to get their booster jabs and with it that vital extra protection against the virus for the months ahead".

Ruth du Plessis, Director of Public Health at St Helens Borough Council, said:

"With the likelihood that Covid-19 rates will continue to rise over the next few months, it is particularly important that residents who are eligible for the booster vaccination do take the opportunity to get that added protection now if they can.

"The presence of the vaccination bus in the town centre again will give more residents an extra chance to get that all important booster and, we would encourage them to take the opportunity to get boosted if they can.

"Having the booster vaccine will help to reduce the chance of you contracting or becoming seriously unwell with Covid-19, It will also reduce the risk of you developing Long Covid and of you passing the virus onto others."

If successful, we intend to bring the vaccine bus back to St Helens again in the near future. To check eligibility and book a Covid-19 vaccination visit https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination/