COVID Vaccinations - June 2021
Anyone requiring a COVID Vaccination can ring 119 for availability or can contact the Practice for further information as Knowsley is hosting drop in clinics at various locations over the summer
Obtaining a COVID-19 test
If you or a household member has one or more of the following covid symptoms then you will either need to self isolate for 14 days or order a test to determine whether you have the virus.
PLEASE NOTE THE SURGERY CANNOT ORDER TESTS ON BEHALF OF PATIENTS
THE ONLY WAY A TEST CAN BE ORDERED IS BY RINGING 119 OR VISITING WWW.GOV.UK AND FINDING A LOCAL TESTING CENTRE AND BOOKING A SLOT
- a high temperature - this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
- a new, continuous cough - this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
- a loss or change to your sense of smell or taste - this means you've noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal
Change in rules regarding face coverings
From July 24th 2020 everyone is required to wear a face covering when entering a shop or business.
This is in addition to wearing one on Public Transport which has been mandatory for some time now.
If you feel you are unable to wear a mask for auditory/sensory/breathing reasons, please visit www.keepsafe.org.uk/mask and download an exemption card for you to show if asked why you are not wearing one.
Please note, it is NOT the responsibility or the role of the Surgery to issue anyone with an exemption letter or certificate.
Please visit the website above for more information or alternatively check
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/staying-safe-outside-your-home/staying-safe-outside-your-home for any updates
NHS Test & Trace..
Continue to maintain regular hand washing, adhere to social distancing guidance, wear a face covering when using public transport or when visiting a hospital setting, work from home if you can and always carry a tissue to “catch it, bin it, kill it” with coughs and sneezes.
It’s really important that if you are displaying symptoms - a high temperature, a new or persistent cough or a loss of taste or smell – that you immediately self-isolate, along with members of your household, and arrange a test for yourself. You can book a test on the at www.nhs.uk or by ringing 119. There are mobile testing units visiting Knowsley as well as two regional test centres.
If you test positive, you must continue to self-isolate for 7 days from the onset of symptoms (and members of your household must self-isolate for 14 days). You will be contacted by NHS Test and Trace and will be asked to share information about who you have been in close contact with (within 2m for more than 15 minutes).
The NHS Test and Trace team will then make contact with them and provide advice which includes staying at home for 14 days, even if they do not display symptoms. This will help them to stop, unknowingly, spreading the virus.
Have you tested positive for the Virus? You may be able to help...
If you’ve had coronavirus or the symptoms, you can donate plasma for a trial which could save the lives of people who are still ill. Click here to offer to donate.
The antibody rich plasma of people who have recovered from COVID-19 can be transfused into people who are struggling to develop their own immune response
go to www.nhsbt.nhs.uk for more information