Engagement teams visit areas with lowest vaccine uptake

This week Council engagement teams are visiting an area of Blackburn to encourage unvaccinated residents to take action to protect themselves from Covid this autumn.

Local vaccination data has helped to identify areas with more residents who have not yet taken up their Covid jabs.

The first of these areas to be visited by engagement teams as part of a new ‘roving vaccination model’ is Bank Top in Blackburn.

Professor Dominic Harrison, Blackburn with Darwen’s Director of Public Health, said:

It’s concerning that we’ve got several areas of the borough where residents are unprotected against Covid as we head into the traditional flu season. It’s a time when we spend more time indoors and viruses are so easily spread.

This work is a new model of vaccination engagement that we haven’t tried in Blackburn with Darwen before. Our engagement teams have the perfect skillset to go out and talk to residents about getting vaccinated now to help protect themselves from catching Covid this autumn and winter.

We’re making it even more convenient for people who are undecided or who just haven’t got around to getting vaccinated to get their jabs.

Information about getting vaccinated was delivered to around 700 homes in the Bank Top area late last week, addressing the main reasons for people feeling undecided about getting vaccinated.

Engagement teams will follow up by spending time in the area talking to residents during Tuesday 7 September to invite them to a one-day pop-up vaccination clinic in Bank Top Neighbourhood Learning Centre.

Staff from Everest Pharmacy will be able to answer residents’ questions about getting vaccinated and give the Covid jabs – both Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines will be available.

The pop-up clinic will be open from 9am to 5pm – appointments are not needed.

Bank Top residents who are housebound, Clinically Extremely Vulnerable or over the age of 40 can also arrange to have their Covid vaccination in their own home on Tuesday 7 September – just speak to the engagement officers to request this, or call the Help Hub on 01254 588111.

Around 69% of Blackburn with Darwen residents are now fully protected by two doses of the Covid vaccine.

Under 30s are the largest unvaccinated group in the borough.

More information about having the Covid vaccine in Blackburn with Darwen is available at www.blackburn.gov.uk/coronavirus/vaccination-programme.

Details of walk-in vaccination clinics across the borough can also be found at www.healthierlsc.co.uk/getmyjab.