Attend vaccination appointments, urge health bosses
Health bosses are urging people in the Black Country and Staffordshire to attend all regular vaccination appointments – to prevent outbreaks of serious diseases and reduce pressure on the health service.
The NHS is continuing to help people to manage illness linked to coronavirus, but is still urging parents to bring children forward for lifesaving jabs to stop killer diseases including measles and mumps.
With many people expressing concern – and even fear – about seeking help during the Covid-19 emergency, the NHS is running a nationwide campaign to encourage people to come forward for help when they need it.
Essential, routine vaccinations like the MMR jab can save a child's life and are available through family doctors, including in some parts of the country through new children's immunisation drive-through clinics.
As long as those attending appointments, including parents of babies or children, do not have symptoms or are not self-isolating because someone in the household is displaying symptoms, all scheduled vaccinations should go ahead as normal.
Dr Nikita Kanani, NHS England medical director for primary care, said: “Vaccines are an absolutely essential building block of good health, so if you or any member of your household are not displaying symptoms of coronavirus and are not self-isolating, vaccinations should happen as normal.
“While the NHS is taking unprecedented measures to protect people from coronavirus, local services are working hard to ensure that people including babies, children and pregnant women still receive their routine vaccinations – they provide essential protection against potentially life-threatening diseases.”
