The next Champion update after today will be on April 9.
Sharing these newsletters
To share this newsletter on social media sites such as Facebook, please visit our COVID-19 Community Champions website www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/covid-champions where you will find links to this update and previous ones at the bottom of the page. Just copy and paste the link.
Read the MK COVID-19 Champions code of conduct here.
COVID-19 snapshot
Click here to see and print the full COVID-19 snapshot as of 24 March 2021 (data reported up to 21 March 2021)
Deputy Mayor, Cllr Mohammed Khan receiving his first vaccine
Deputy Mayor Khan shared a photo of himself being vaccinated at the weekend, urging people that they don't need to be apprehensive or nervous. He reported having a slightly sore arm and a mild headache afterwards.
Cllr Mohammed Khan has concerns that misinformation being spread about COVID-19 vaccines are putting off older, more vulnerable people from the Bangladeshi and Hindu communities.
He said: “Fake news is saying the jab contains a meat substance. This is completely untrue.”
He continued: "Many South Asian families are multi-generational with grandparents and children sharing the same home. I would urge families to ensure that they adopt protection measures such as masks and trying to keep their distances when at home.”
Some second doses postponed but will be within 11 weeks
Some people in Milton Keynes have had their second COVID-19 vaccine appointment postponed. This followed the NHS announcement that there would be a reduction in the vaccine supplies from 29 March for about a month.
The appointments will be rebooked within the recommended timeframe for the second vaccination, which currently stands at 11 weeks.
This is because some residents had been booked in "slightly earlier" than the 11-week window, according to a spokesperson from the NHS. Rescheduling appointments will also allow the NHS to provide first doses to people in the top nine priority groups.
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Do you have questions about the vaccination?
Have you decided against having the vaccine? We’d like to hear from you.
Send them to us and we will do our best to answer them: COVIDchampions@Milton-Keynes.gov.uk.
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Vaccine availability
Local people can now collect up to 14 free rapid tests (called lateral flow tests) from Central MK Library, currently being used as a test centre, to use at home. There’s no need to book, register or even show ID to pick up your tests.
MK council is making the whole process as contact free as possible; just turn up and ask a member of staff for the tests. Staff will be positioned at the main entrance during opening hours to take requests. Parking is free at the front of the building for people briefly stopping to collect or take a test.
Opening hours:
Monday 9.30 – 4.30pm
Tuesday 9.30 – 7.00pm
Wednesday 9.30am to 4.30pm
Thursday from 9.30am to 7.00pm
Friday 9.30 – 4.30pm
Rapid testing is still available at the site for people in MK who have to leave their house to work, as well as informal carers.
No-one with symptoms will be tested at this site. Anyone with one or more of these symptoms – a high temperature, a new, continuous cough, or a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – should book a test at nhs.uk/coronavirus or by calling 119.
Are you feeling low?
Are you struggling to deal with bereavement, isolation, loss of income or general worries? We all experience challenging times at some point in our lives and MK has a number of services that can help. Here’s just a few:
GenOMICC COVID-19 Study
Why do some people become seriously ill with COVID-19 while others are hardly affected? One answer may live in our DNA. By comparing whole genome sequences, we may learn why some people who are young, fit and healthy are badly affected and others who were old and frail are not.
A new study is looking for people over 18 who tested COVID-19 positive with symptoms, such as briefly feeling unwell, but who got better without being hospitalised as well as people who tested positive and experienced no symptoms at all. They would like to take blood samples to test. They are particularly keen to hear from older people and people from ethnic minority backgrounds.
Register to take part here.
New online volunteering space
Community Action MK is creating a new online volunteering space with a range of resources, volunteering opportunities, support services and community news. Organisations can use the space to share roles, organisational updates and events.
There is so much to be gained from volunteering and including developing a variety of skills and experiences. You can sign up as a volunteer here, or as an organisation here.
Questions? Email support@communityactionmk.org.
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Elections 2021
There are Police and Crime Commissioner, Borough Council and Parish Elections scheduled for Thursday 6 May 2021. We want to make sure everybody is registered and can vote safely.
The choice on how to vote at next May’s elections is yours, you can have your say by post, in person, or by proxy. If you’re worried about going to a polling station you can apply for a postal vote.
Nominations opened for prospective candidates
On Wed 24 March, nominations opened for prospective candidates for Borough and Parish elections in May. For more information, visit milton-keynes.gov.uk/elections-2021. To make an appointment to submit nomination papers, please email elections@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
How do I get more information?
You can visit our website at www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/elections.
Reporting concerns
One of the ways you can help is by reporting serious concerns about workplaces and other facilities where social distancing and other measures aren’t being followed. Intelligence like this can help us to track and control virus transmission.
Please tell us when the breach of restrictions took place, and a full address of the site if known. Your details will not be shared with the person or place you are telling us about.
You can write to us at COVIDconcern@milton-keynes.gov.uk.
We may not reply to all messages but we will read them all, and they’ll be used to gather intelligence so we can take action where needed.
Useful links
See the latest Government guidance here gov.uk/coronavirus.
Find COVID-19 Information from the NHS: www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/
To print and share this, please click "view it as a web page" at the top of this bulletin. This will take you to a web page with the option to print this off at the top.
To share this newsletter on social media sites such as Facebook, please visit our COVID-19 Community Champions website www.milton-keynes.gov.uk/covid-champions where you will find links to this update and previous ones at the bottom of the page. Just copy and paste the link.
Your Feedback
Have you found this email useful?
Let us know how we can improve: COVIDChampions@Milton-Keynes.gov.uk
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