Sunderland’s Director of Public Health is urging people to continue being vigilant after the Government outlined its plans for a cautious easing of lockdown.
In her latest weekly video to residents, Gerry Taylor, the City Council’s Director of Public Health and Integrated Commissioning said that while the announcement is welcome news, it’s really important that people continue to do everything they can to stop the virus from spreading.
She said: “We’re all looking forward to the time when we can get back to something nearer normal,
but it’s important to remember we’ve still a long way to go and the stay-at-home guidance remains in place for now.
“In Sunderland, the latest data we have shows that our infection rates are continuing to fall
but we still have a high number of cases and we are continuing to see people being admitted to hospital and unfortunately people dying from this disease.
“That’s why we must all continue to be vigilant and follow the rules and do everything we can collectively, to stop the virus spreading. That includes taking up the vaccine when it is offered to you. There is good evidence that vaccines are highly effective in protecting us against COVID and thanks to the work of our colleagues in the NHS, the programme to vaccinate residents across the city is continuing at a speed that gives us a great reason to be optimistic.”
“It’s really important we don’t lose sight of the sacrifices we’ve all made in the last year, so the main thing right now, is that we must continue to stay at home and only go out for essential reasons. Stay local when exercising and if you are outside remember, hands, face and space at all times.”
Gerry also invited residents to send her any questions they have about the vaccine programme ahead of a Q and A video on vaccinations next week.
She said: “It’s important that everyone feels informed about Covid vaccines and I want to help ensure that people across the city are aware of the facts.
“We’ve got answers to some frequently asked questions on our website and next week I will be teaming up with our GP vaccine lead in the city to answer some more of the questions which you may have.
“If there’s anything you would like to ask us in relation to the vaccination programme, please email your questions to covidchampions@sunderland.gov.uk and we will answer as many as we can in a vaccination Q and A video which we will share on social media next week.”
To look at the frequently asked questions on the council’s website visit: www.sunderland.gov.uk/coronavirus
To ask Gerry a question on the vaccine programme email: CovidChampions@sunderland.gov.uk
