The NHS is celebrating an important milestone this week as more than half of all adults in the Black Country and West Birmingham have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

More than 540,000 first doses have now been administered, thanks to the unprecedented scale vaccination programme which has seen people receive their vaccine in hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries, pharmacies and even local sports centres and places of worship. Sally Roberts, Chief Nursing Officer for the NHS Black Country and West Birmingham CCGs, said:

“It is a truly extraordinary achievement to have vaccinated half of our region’s adults in barely three months. This vaccination programme has been on a scale like nothing any of us has seen before and I am immensely proud of all the colleagues who have pulled together to make this happen.

“This has been a true team effort across the Black Country and West Birmingham system. From the vaccine team and hospitals who made sure our frontline workers are protected and the GPs who were at the forefront of getting the vaccine out into communities, to the public health teams who helped promote the importance of vaccination and not forgetting the community organisations who offered their premises and their volunteers to support this crucial work.”

As the second dose is given 10-12 weeks after the first, and thousands of people are now becoming eligible for their second dose, the focus in the coming weeks will be on giving out these second doses so that the most vulnerable in society are as well protected against the virus as can be.

Currently, the vaccine is available to anyone aged over 50, anyone who has an underlying health condition such as diabetes or asthma, and anyone who works in the health and care sectors or is a named carer for another person.

If you are in an eligible group, even if you have previously declined the vaccine and changed your mind, you can find your nearest centre and book an appointment by calling 119 or visiting nhs.uk.

For the latest information about the vaccine in the Black Country and West Birmingham, visit blackcountrywestbirminghamcovidvaccine.co.uk