The following is an update from the County Council:

Seven local vaccination services, led by a GP-led Primary Care Network (PCN), will begin to deliver COVID-19 vaccinations next week. The service for Dorchester will be delivered at  Clifton Hamden  Village Hall for patients registered with Clifton Hampden Surgery, Berinsfield Health Centre, Marcham Road Health Centre and Long Furlong Medical Practice.

Those invited will be patients aged 80 and over. This is in line with the recommendation from the JCVI (Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation) with the top two cohorts being the first priority for the vaccine:

1. Residents in care homes for older adults and their carers
2. All those 80 years of age or over and frontline health and social care workers

It is going to take some time to deliver the vaccine to all in the top two priority groups and GP practices are working through their patient lists as fast as the deliveries allow.

Patients are being asked to wait until they are contacted by their GP practice.

The news last week that the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved nationally is exciting and we have had confirmation that deliveries will be received this week  in Oxfordshire, increasing the number of patients that can be invited for vaccination.

Dosage interval

There is  updated guidance from the JCVI and the four UK Chief Medical Officers on the dose interval for the second dose of the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine. It now recommends the second dose of the  vaccine should now be scheduled for after three weeks but before 12 weeks after the first dose.

This means that most of those that have already received their first dose and have their second dose scheduled will now be contacted to rearrange their appointment for their second dose, allowing more first vaccinations to be booked over the coming weeks.

Berinsfield Health Centre have confirmed:
‘I am pleased to let you know that we have started to contact patients to book their covid injections in, our clinics will start on Thursday 7th Jan and they will be done at Clifton Hampden Village Hall. We are inviting patients by age, so older patients first then working down our list.’

The latest data shows that the covid-19 virus is spreading much faster than expected in our area. In the seven days to 23rd December, cases across the whole of Oxfordshire have increased by 86 per cent  with rises seen across all districts. Among the over 60s, cases have more than doubled in the space of a week.  Hospital admissions are rising rapidly as a result. The increased spread is being attributed to a new variant of COVID-19, which is passed on far more easily.

As a result, we are now under Tier 4 restrictions.

The official rules about what we can and can’t do can be found here: Local restrictions – What you need to know

Briefly, if you live in Tier 4  you must not leave or be outside of your home or garden except where you have a ‘reasonable excuse’. A reasonable excuse includes:

Work (if it cannot be done from home)

Shopping for essentials

Child care and education

Exercise

You can only meet one other person from another household outdoors.

You can continue to receive informal care at home from your support bubble.

There are a number of potentially vulnerable people in Dorchester, by virtue of age, potential isolation or underlying health issues. Our local community has always been welcoming, supportive and neighbourly. It is particularly important, now that we are back to close to lockdown, that we look out for  each other, check that people are OK, and that everyone gets help and support if they need it.

The Village Support Group, the Dorchester Volunteers is still available and ready. Whether it’s with prescriptions, a friendly chat, shopping, help with technical issues and making online connections, dog walking, bins, we are here for you.

Just email:  anne.morrowandrew@gmail.com    –   or phone 01865 340007

The SODC South Oxfordshire Community Hub will be open for calls between Christmas and New Year from 9-5 on Tuesday 29 December to Thursday 31 December – the number on these days for anybody who needs support is 01235 422600.

The light at the end of the tunnel! Covid Vaccinations

A number of local GP practices, including Berinsfield and Clifton Hampden, are working together to deliver  the coronavirus vaccination at Clifton Hamden Village Hall from the beginning of January. People will be notified about when to come in for the jab.

From Saturday 31 October, Oxford City will be moved into the government’s high alert level after a further rise in cases of COVID-19.

This means that if you either live in, or plan to visit the city, you’ll need to follow some new rules.

It’s important to remember that the higher alert level takes precedence over any other. So if you live in Oxford, you need to adhere to the high alert level restrictions even when you’re visiting a medium alert area. If you are visiting the city from another part of Oxfordshire, you also have to follow the high alert level rules.

What are the high alert rules?

• If you live in, or are visiting Oxford, you must not meet socially with anybody outside your household or support bubble in any indoor setting, whether at home or in a public place.
• You must not meet in a group of more than six outside, including in a garden or other outdoor space.
• You should try to reduce the number of journeys you make, and walk or cycle where possible. If taking public transport, you should plan ahead and avoid busy times and routes.

There is more support and advice on what you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones online.