Fears shaky vaccine supply could stop Greater Manchester hitting February target

direct to your inboxMore than 300,000 people have received their first dose of the coronavirus vaccine so far in Greater Manchester.As of Tuesday (January 26), 309,469 first doses of the vaccine had been administered and 96pc of care homes have now been offered the vaccine.Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has praised the progress of the rollout, saying the region is in a good position to reach the mid-February deadline.There are around 560,000 people in the four highest priority groups

Sign up to the MySalford newsletter and don't miss a thing happening in and around the citySupplies of vaccines have become steadier in parts of Greater Manchester after hospitals said the situation with stock last week was 'hand to mouth'.Hospital hubs in Salford, Rochdale, Oldham and Bury and the mass vaccination centre at the Etihad in Manchester now have a week's schedule of supplies.Salford's supplies of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine is also said to be 'more readily available' within the

direct to your inboxA glimmer of hope in these dark days.Photos of people grinning from ear to ear under their masks while getting their coronavirus vaccines have been shared across Greater Manchester.The cheerful images represent hope following a tough year.A reminder that better days will come and one day things will get back to normal.Here are just some of the wonderful images that have been popping up on social media during the mass vaccination roll-out.GP Bev Matta from Westhoughton Primary

direct to your inboxThe Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital is to open emergency Covid beds for adults in a sign of the unprecedented pressure facing Greater Manchester’s hospitals.Sir Richard Leese, the region’s health chief, said the situation in the system was now ‘critical’ as NHS bosses have scrambled to discharge as many people as possible ahead of a sustained peak over the coming three weeks.Crisis meetings have been held to determine the ability to scale up beds, as Salford Royal and

direct to your inboxThe NHS has sadly confirmed the deaths of 29 more patients in hospitals in Greater Manchester who had tested positive for Covid-19.The region's hospital death toll now stands at 4,757.NHS bosses said on Friday a further 993 people who tested positive for the virus have died in hospitals across England.It brings the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 65,104.In the north west, a further 94 hospital deaths were reported, the NHS said on Friday.A

direct to your inboxPolice have declared a major incident due to concerns about the impact of Storm Christoph.An amber weather warning for rain has been issued as torrential downpours are set to hit the region.It's in force until Thursday lunchtime, with forecasters warning of potential flooding.A top police chief urged people to leave their home if they need to despite the stay at home message.Residents are being urged to follow their local authority's advice about evacuations.Assistant Chief

direct to your inboxA number of flood alerts have been issued across Greater Manchester and Cheshire as Storm Christoph brings torrential downpours to the region. The Met Office has issued an amber 'danger to life' weather warning for heavy rain and flooding for large parts of northern England.

direct to your inboxDoctors in Greater Manchester fear the impact of Christmas mixing and a fast-spreading variant of coronavirus will soon lead to chaos in hospitals. Exhausted medics based in a coronavirus ward and in A&E told the Manchester Evening News they are facing a range of mounting challenges.

direct to your inboxThe biggest vaccination rollout ever has started in earnest across Greater Manchester.Health teams have been working around the clock to make sure the Covid-19 jabs can be administered as quickly and smoothly as possible. Across the city-region 87,697 people have already received their first dose, as of January 12.

direct to your inboxA sports centre in south Manchester is being transformed into a coronavirus vaccine centre - one of the first in the region to be led by a local pharmacy.From Monday (January 18) jabs will be administered at Whalley Range Cricket and Lawn Tennis Club on Kingsbrook Road. The service is being provided by local pharmacy group Kapoor Pharmacy Services (KPS), which runs two chemists in Whalley Range and Chorlton as well as one in Rochdale.

direct to your inboxHospital staff across Greater Manchester paid a total of nearly £8m to park at work in a year, statistics show.Figures for 2019/20 show parking tickets, permits and fines for staff brought in £7.9m at hospital trusts across the region - a similar figure to the previous year. One union boss said: "Charging dedicated NHS staff to park at work is disgraceful.

direct to your inboxA flood 'alert' has been put in force in Greater Manchester today after hours of heavy rainfall overnight.The alert warns of 'possible' flooding around the area of the middle River Mersey catchment area.It includes areas near Bramhall in Stockport, Sale, Altrincham and Urmston.The Environment Agency warned: "Flooding is possible - be prepared."And Transport for Greater Manchester said: "With heavy rain in Greater Manchester this morning, expect flooding in some areas.

direct to your inboxPensioners are being told to travel from Greater Manchester to sites as far away as Birmingham to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.Some of the most vulnerable people who are eligible to receive the jab have been referred to vaccination centres in Telford, Macclesfield, Halifax and Newcastle-on-Tyne.As the mass rollout begins in earnest, the NHS is working to immunise the highest priority groups by February half term.

direct to your inboxFrontline medical staff treating Covid patients at Greater Manchester hospitals have been told they must wait 11 weeks for their second doses of the Pfizer vaccine.It was reported last month that the government intended to extend the period between jabs from three or four weeks to as many as 12 to maximise those receiving the first dose amid the rise of a mutant strain.This means the second dose of both the Oxford/AstraZeneca and the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines will be within

direct to your inboxThis is the first look inside Greater Manchester's mass coronavirus vaccination centre ahead of its opening on Monday.The site, at the Manchester Tennis and Football Centre at the Etihad Campus, has undergone a remarkable transformation as this exclusive footage provided by the NHS shows.It's one of seven vaccination centres being launched in England next week.Initially it will be open to people over 80 and healthcare staff by appointment only.Manchester's director of public

direct to your inboxHospitals across Greater Manchester have begun postponing cancer operations as fears grow that the region could run out of intensive care beds.Some cancer surgery has already been cancelled at the last minute due to a lack of critical care beds, while more broadly trusts are beginning the process of rescheduling cancer operations not deemed to be the most urgent.The move comes amid expectations of a ‘very scary’ surge in admissions from Monday, according to one senior doctor

direct to your inboxRochdale Infirmary patients became the first in Greater Manchester to receive the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine this week.It was given to people aged over 80 attending scheduled outpatient appointments at the hospital, after its pharmacy team took delivery of the vaccine on Monday.The vaccine was approved for use in the UK by the medical regulator at the end of December.

direct to your inboxThe coronavirus vaccination programme is underway in Greater Manchester.A number of vaccine centres offering the Pfizer jab opened before Christmas.Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised that 1,000 vaccination sites will go 'live' across the country by Friday. Meanwhile, the Etihad Tennis and Football Centre has been confirmed by the Govenment as one of seven 'super-vaccination' centres due to open next week.

direct to your inboxA Greater Manchester Police officer who repeatedly sexually assaulted a young girl has been jailed.Farooq Ahmed, 37, walked into a police station with a confession note before Christmas.

Follow our dedicated live blog here The ones that are closed are providing places for key worker and vulnerable children, as they did during the first lockdown. If your child's school has closed, get in touch with us on our Manchester Family Facebook page here, let us know in the comments here, or email [email protected]. These are the schools that have closed by boroughMount Carmel RC, BlakleyOswald Road Primary, ChorltonSt Peter's Catholic Primary, WythenshaweBirchfields Primary,