COVID jabs offered to people aged 65 to 69 spells good news for mobility retail
NHS England has confirmed that people aged 65 to 69 and those who are clinically vulnerable against COVID will begin being invited to get a vaccine.
This group of people joins the first four priority cohorts to get vaccinated, recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which are care home residents and staff, over-80s, frontline health and care staff, over-70s, and clinically extremely vulnerable people.
With more elderly and vulnerable people being vaccinated, this spells good news for the mobility retail sector, as this demographic makes up a key proportion of mobility retailers’ customer base and could see more people returning to mobility stores to buy essential equipment.
It follows calls from the British Healthcare Trades Associations (BHTA) in January, which stressed the need to ensure no eligible workers in the healthcare industry are overlooked in the UK Government’s vaccination rollout programme, with many mobility retailers and providers working with vulnerable people but not within the public sector.
NHS England says that almost 1.2 million letters were due to land on doorsteps by Saturday 13th of February asking people to log on to the national booking service, with another 1.2 million due to arrive this week.
Anyone unable to book online can call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week, the health service states. Those who receive a letter can choose from more than 100 large-scale vaccination centres or almost 200 pharmacy services.
In the next phase, GP-led vaccination sites will focus initially on the clinically vulnerable from cohort six because of the relationship between general practice and those with long-term conditions and continuity of care.
The drive to jab this next group of individuals comes after the NHS vaccinated more than 12 million people in the first four priority groups.
Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock said: “The vaccination programme is continuing at an unprecedented speed and, as we’re on target to offer vaccines to all those in the first four priority groups by Monday, we are determined to keep up the momentum by expanding it even further.
“The NHS is doing everything it can to offer vaccines to the most vulnerable as quickly as possible, and today’s news will mean millions more at-risk individuals will be able to access a jab from next week.
“We will continue to accelerate the vaccination programme even further and I want to thank everyone in the NHS, volunteers and the armed forces for their tireless dedication.”
People aged 70 or over should contact the national booking service while health and care workers should speak to their employers, NHS England advises.
https://thiis.co.uk/covid-jabs-offered-to-people-aged-65-to-69-spells-good-news-for-mobility-retail/https://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/face-mask-senior-woman.jpghttps://thiis.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/face-mask-senior-woman-150x150.jpgGovernment & Local AuthoritiesNewsroomNHSSector NewsBHTA,COVID-19 vaccine,JCVI,Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation,NHS England,vaccination rolloutNHS England has confirmed that people aged 65 to 69 and those who are clinically vulnerable against COVID will begin being invited to get a vaccine. This group of people joins the first four priority cohorts to get vaccinated, recommended by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which...Sarah SarsbySarah Sarsbysarah@thiis.co.ukEditorTHIIS Magazine