Urgent advice for Preston, Chorley and South Ribble residents in a vaccine priority group - who haven't had their jab

Up until now, people have had to wait for a letter from the NHS, or to be contacted by their doctor, before they have been able to arrange their vaccination.

However, that advice has now changed in Central Lancashire for those residents in the priority categories deemed to be most at risk from Covid.

If you fall into one of the groups below, you are being advised by Central Lancashire's clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to contact your GP practice on its usual phone number as soon as possible - and can expect to be booked in over the course of the next week to 10 days, with some appointments even likely to be available this weekend:

***Aged 50 or older

***Clinically extremely vulnerable (in the shielding category)

***Aged 16 or over with a long-term, underlying health condition that puts you at increased risk from Covid-19

***You are a full-time carer for someone who is at increased risk from Covid-19

***You have a learning disability

***You are an eligible full-time health and social care worker

Residents in most of these groups have already received their dose, because they were amongst the highest of the nine priority cohorts.

Letters have also been sent out this week to anybody over 50 inviting them to make an appointment.

However, the Post understands that the NHS in Central Lancashire currently has a plentiful supply of vaccine and wants to use it to vaccinate anybody in the priority categories who may have been missed when it was their turn, for whatever reason, and those at the lower end of the at-risk groups who have yet to receive their jab.

The wider Lancashire and South Cumbria region is aiming to complete the top nine priority groups by 29th March - more than a fortnight ahead of the national target for doing so on 15th April.

Although people should call their own GP to book their appointment, the vaccines are being delivered at eight primary network hubs across Preston, Chorley and South Ribble - so they might have to attend somewhere other than their usual practice to receive the jab.

Only those in the groups listed above should attempt to book a slot.

A directory of GP practice phone numbers in Central Lancashire can be found here.