Nelson's fight against Delta variant brought sharply into focus

The fight to halt the spread of the Delta variant of Covid-19 in Pendle was brought sharply into focus this week.
Coun. Nadeem Ahmed with Tom Willey of the Cabinet Office street teamCoun. Nadeem Ahmed with Tom Willey of the Cabinet Office street team
Coun. Nadeem Ahmed with Tom Willey of the Cabinet Office street team

Special street teams were drafted in to help get the vaccination and testing message across.

And that action brought with it the attention of national and international media outlets.

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Covid street teams from the Government’s Cabinet Office were back in Pendle on Tuesday and Wednesday to urge people aged 18 and over to get vaccinated and give advice on staying safe.

The teams also reminded people of all ages to get tested regularly for Covid-19 – whether they have symptoms or not –and they handed pout kits so residents could test themselves at home.

Their visit was due to increasing Covid-19 cases in Pendle which doubled last week including more cases of the highly infectious Delta variant.

“These worrying increases in cases and infection rates have led to the Government identifying Pendle as an area needing enhanced support,” explained Coun. Nadeem Ahmed, Leader of Pendle Council.

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“The local outreach teams will help to flag up the testing and vaccination capacity we have in Pendle to stop the spread of the virus.

“There are a range of places to get vaccinated, including a number of local pharmacies who are doing drop-in vaccinations.”

The teams were in Nelson town centre and neighbourhoods near the town centre to talk to local people.

The street teams handed out fliers produced by Pendle Council asking people not to delay getting vaccinated and the importance of having regular Covid tests, even if they don’t have symptoms.

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The fliers also reminded people to keep two metres away from anyone they don’t live with, to meet outdoors rather than indoors if possible and to minimise travel to and from Pendle.

Details on where to get vaccinated locally and where to get a test in Pendle are on Pendle Council’s website: www.pendle.gov.uk/coronavirus

“Local people CAN take action. We all need to play our part as Pendle faces the continuing challenge of Covid,” said Coun. Ahmed.

“Thank you to everyone who has had their vaccination or who is coming forward to get their vaccination in the coming days. It’s vital in keeping our community safe.”

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Data released by the Government on Monday shows that there were 286 Covid cases during the previous seven days, a small reduction from the previous week’s number of cases which was 291. And there have been a total of 10,632 cases since the start of the pandemic.

The current rate per 100,000 is 324.6 which is an increase on last week’s infection rates figure of 305.1. Since the start of the pandemic, 237 Pendle people have died within 28 days of a positive Covid test. An overall total of 276 have died with Covid-19 on the death certificate.