Windsor & Maidenhead's Covid-19 vaccine rollout "remains very strong"

According to the latest Public Health England data – which was published last week – 85 per cent of people aged 60 and over have had their first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine.

That’s one of the highest vaccine uptakes in Berkshire, with Wokingham just ahead.

The Royal Borough has also vaccinated 12 per cent of 16-64-year-olds – which is in line with the rest of the area.

Latest vaccine figures reported at this week's outbreak engagement board meeting

Speaking to the Observer, councillor Stuart Carroll, lead member for social care and health, as well as being on the UK’s vaccine task force, said the borough is in a “good position” as the vaccine rollout locally “remains very strong”.

He said: “I’m very pleased to see it going smoothly, effectively, and efficiently, and a lot of direct resident feedback has been very, very positive – which is pleasing to hear.

“I’m working with our NHS colleagues daily and on a weekly basis to ensure that everything across the programme is running as it needs to be and that we’re doing all we can as a local authority to support the programme.”

READ MORE: Maidenhead's health lead assures AstraZeneca jab is safe

Cllr Carroll added getting vaccinated doesn’t mean getting a “free pass” from the Covid restrictions and should still comply with the government guidance.

He said: “The evidence is emerging to suggest the vaccines do have an impact on transmission, that evidence is still improving – but we have to be careful with that conclusion at this point.

“The more we vaccinate and get on top of the virus, the more we can try to stop it from mutating and preventing the different types of new variants from emerging.”

On vaccine safety, Cllr Carroll assured the jabs are safe as reported by the World Health Organisation, the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and others.

Out of the millions of doses administered, the independent MHRA reported “very, very few” side-effects and tend to be “very, very mild”, Cllr Carroll explained.

READ MORE: Covid round up in Berkshire - Tuesday, March 16

He said: “Mild headaches or light fevers are often a sign that the immune system is kicking into overdrive and it’s not actually the vaccine itself.

“It’s more of the immune system functioning very rapidly and very quickly – which perversely is a positive sign but having any kind of initial side-effect is not pleasant.”

Social media giants such as Facebook have been called to do more to tackle anti-vaccine posts and conspiracy theories, with some falsely claiming the Covid jabs can alter a person’s DNA.

Cllr Carroll called these myths and untruths “wild and wacky” as well as “very dangerous” to public health and has urged anyone who has concerns or questions about the vaccines to contact a public health official.