Leader praises borough GPs over vaccines

WOKINGHAM’S coronavirus rate might be down on January, but it is still above last summer’s.

Council leader Cllr John Halsall was looking ahead to the forthcoming first anniversary of the first lockdown as he made remarks on the pandemic during the executive meeting held online on Thursday, March 18.

He said that the weekly rate per 100,000 residents was, to March 11, 35.1 people, “well below” the January 4 peak of 606.

But, he warned it still compares very badly to the below five figure in August.

He added: “We suspect that it will be adversely affected by the schools going back and conversely favourably by the rollout of the vaccinations”.

At the same time, both hospitalisations and deaths are declining and he also said: “We must, however, nervously look across the channel at what seems to be a third wave, which is bedding in with ever increasing new lockdowns”. Minutes after he spoke, it was revealed that parts of France would return to lockdown status as this third wave took place.

Cllr Halsall took time to praise GPs for their “magnificent” efforts with the vaccination programme and the government “who has had the foresight and acumen to establish the research into the vaccination programme and the unequalled roll-out”.

“Again a big thank again to all the carers, doctors, health staff, social care staff, health, police, fire, rescue, ambulance, teachers, school staff, charities, volunteers, our staff … in short everybody who has stepped up to the plate and made it possible for life to continue during these appalling times,” he said.

And he urged Wokingham residents to continue to follow government rules, which will start to change over the coming weeks as some restrictions are eased.

“It has never been more vital that we play our role and continue to observe the rules,” he said.