800 get their jab as town hits back at Covid

‘PHENOMENAL’ TURNOUT AT COMMUNITY POP-UP EVENT

HUNDREDS passed through the doors of an Oldham community centre for what was believed to be the biggest pop-up vaccination event in the country.

It was the latest step in the town’s battle to beat coronavirus – with the armed forces joining the council, NHS and community groups to give more residents a shot in the arm.

Organisers behind the pop-up event at OBA Millennium Centre had been expecting more than 600 people to get the jab on the day – mostly from the town’s Bangladeshi community.

But by 5pm, the total number of vaccines had surged past the 700 mark, and it was estimated that more than 800 people had the vaccine by the time it closed at 6pm.

Coun Abdul Jabbar, who represents Coldhurst on Oldham council, said: “The turnout has been absolutely phenomenal.

“We brought this centre close to people and because of that people have responded magnificently.

“This is obviously a trusted place for the community, people know this building, they also trust the people that have organised it, so they are happy to come along.

“I just hope that this will give people protection against the coronavirus. I’m absolutely delighted with the response.”

Oldham council had already been working to drive up the number of people getting the jab, with Saturday’s session being the fourth pop-up event.

It worked with Oldham Mosques Council, Oldham Central Mosque and Action Together Oldham to get the message out to residents and prepare the pop-up site – and their efforts more than paid off. Another pop-up session is also planned, and Coun Jabbar hopes it will be the turning point to improve take-up for the vaccine among the community. He says that misinformation on social media had played a part in encouraging residents not to have the jab – but believes that issue is now being overcome at last.

Coun Jabbar said: “There were some issues with people commenting on WhatsApp and Facebook but luckily we have managed to deal with that.

“I personally put out two videos of messages which were very well received, encouraging people to take the vaccine and not to listen to the mess that was going around.

“If we can get everyone in our borough vaccinated that will give them the protection they need and also their loved ones. It is absolutely crucial.”

The Army helped deliver the Covid vaccine; below, the queue for the jab