What's happening in West Lancs?

This week in the Borough, cases are still high but:

• The number of people testing positive for covid has fallen by 15% and is now at a similar level to late June
• There have been no covid deaths this week
• The number of people admitted to local hospitals due to covid has fallen by over 37%

Find out what’s happening in your postcode here: 

16-17 year olds

From this week, people aged 16 and 17 are able to book their COVID-19 jabs through the National Booking Service (previously only available to them through walk-in clinics)

Around 60% of young people in England have already received their vaccine. 

Thousands of texts are being sent to eligible teenagers this week.  Messages appear as an alert from ‘NHS vaccine’ and include a web link to the NHS website to make a booking.

If you’re aged 16 or 17, book here to get your jab appointment.

Flu vaccination

GP surgeries are working tirelessly across the Borough to vaccinate their patients against both Covid-19 and the flu. 

Tarleton Group Practice, for example, recently gave almost 2,000 people their flu jab and around 500 people their covid jab – in ONE weekend!

Groups eligible for a free NHS flu jab this year include:

• children aged 2 to 15

• those aged 6 months to under 50 years in clinical risk groups

• pregnant women

• those aged 50 years and over

• those in long-stay residential care homes

• carers

• close contacts of immunocompromised individuals

• frontline health and social care staff

This is the first year that flu will co-circulate alongside COVID-19, so people are being urged to get their flu vaccine as soon as they are offered it to boost their immunity this winter. 

Both vaccines can be given at the same time.

Find out more here

Covid vaccination

Everyone aged 12 and over can now get a covid vaccination.

If you are aged 12-15, your school will offer the vaccination to you.

If you are 16 or over, you can: 

• book online here 
• phone for free on 119
• book a jab with your GP 
• find a walk-in vaccination site here 

Which Covid test?

If you want to get a test but not sure which one you need, take a look at this simple guide:

If you don't have symptoms

Anyone in West Lancashire is now eligible to free lateral flow tests for themselves and their families to use twice a week.

You can either:

• Collect FREE tests from a symptom free local collection site to use at home later.  Find your nearest collection point here.

Or

• Order FREE home testing kits online to be delivered to your home:  https://www.gov.uk/order-coron...

If you have symptoms

• you will need to self-isolate and get a PCR test here.

• If you have a positive test, you can apply for financial support here.

October is Stoptober

Stoptober is a 28-day stop smoking challenge and the NHS Quit Smoking app can help you quit smoking and start breathing easier.

There's lots of information, resources and advice here.

Make more of our money

Being in control of our finances helps us feel more relaxed and can help our mental wellbeing.

West Lancashire Borough Council has a handy budgeting tool and even if you feel on top of your finances, it can help you maximise your savings or keep on top of your spending. 

Find out more here.

Get stronger together

According to the local Health and Care Partnership there's five simple exercises we can all do to get stronger.  

They're designed to strengthen muscles and improve balance which can help reduce risk of falls for older people, but are suitable for the whole family.

Try doing them while waiting for the kettle to boil, or for the TV programme to start - get everyone involved and grow stronger together!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6rHsjVN1eM

Can you help us get the word out?

We are working with West Lancashire Borough Council to get accurate information into the heart of communities and would be grateful if you could pass this on to your networks.

Please join in these efforts by cascading these messages on to your work colleagues, friends and families using the share buttons below: