Friday 26 November 2021

Resident Bulletin

Due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19), we are providing regular email updates to let you know about the latest information we have on local and national measures to contain the virus, any changes to local services and support that's available.

If you do not wish to receive these updates please click on "unsubscribe" at the bottom of the page.

Further information is available from www.rotherham.gov.uk/coronavirus

Protect your loved ones this Christmas by getting your COVID vaccinations

With four weeks until Christmas, now is the best time to protect your family and friends by getting your COVID-19 vaccinations. Whether you haven’t had any vaccinations or are waiting for your booster, you can still book an appointment or attend a grab a jab session.

Further grab a jab sessions are happening this weekend:

Saturday 27th November:

Market Surgery, Wath upon Dearne - 1pm - 4.30pm

Rawmarsh Customer Service Centre - 3pm - 5pm

Sunday 28th November:

Rawmarsh Customer Service Centre - 1pm - 3pm

You MUST wear a face covering when you attend a grab a jab session. Visors are not accepted.

Residents over the age of 40 are now being invited to get their booster when they are eligible. You will be able to book your appointment online through the national

Remember, the booster vaccine will be offered no earlier than six months after completion of the first course (first and second dose) of vaccination.

Get tested before heading out to festive events

It’s been another tough year and as we head towards the festive season, we know that everyone will want to let their hair down and celebrate together.  

COVID-19 very much still around, and the Government is now advising people to get lateral flow tests before they meet with friends and family or attend larger events.

While we don’t want to restrict what you do, we just want to ask you to be extra careful this year so that you and your loved ones can keep safe from the virus. 

You can help to stop the spread of COVID-19 by getting a lateral flow test before going out to a Christmas Market, meeting with vulnerable relatives, or attending other seasonal events.

Lateral flow tests are available can be collected from local libraries, leisure centres, pharmacies or ordered and delivered to your house. Order online or by calling 119.

If you feel ill or have any symptoms of COVID-19, stay at home and get a PCR test right away. It’s better to miss one event than spreading COVID to a vulnerable relative.

Further information about lateral flow tests and how to get them is available online

COVID-19 case rates decrease but hospital still under pressure

Over the last week, the weekly COVID-19 case rates in Rotherham have dropped below the national average for the first time since July. While this is a positive move in the right direction, COVID is still in our communities and we must continue to be mindful of the virus so that we can keep the case rates low.

The current rates for Rotherham are 400.4 per 100,000 which is below the national average of 428.6 per 100,000. This does not mean COVID is gone yet, we have seen previously that the rates can change quickly.

There are still a high number of people in hospital with COVID-19. On Wednesday 24 November, 50 inpatients were reported in Rotherham Hospital having tested positive for COVID-19 but 0 in critical care. Since the start of the pandemic, Rotherham Hospital has treated 3,477 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 and safely discharged a total of 2,604 to their usual place of residence. It is still important that we protect our families, friends and vulnerable residents in our communities.

International Travel Updates

You may be aware that six countries have been added to the Government's red list. This means self-isolation requirements and travel restrictions will apply to travelling to and from these countries.

Keep up to date and get more information on the GOV.UK website.

Hospital Hub for 12-15 year old COVID-19 vaccinations now open

Any 12-15 year old children who did not receive their vaccination in school can now book on a weekend clinic which is based at the old Greenoaks Centre at Rotherham Hospital. Parents, carers and guardians are able to book appointments through the online booking system.

If your child has tested positive for COVID-19 and is not at high risk from COVID-19, they need to wait 12 weeks before they can have a COVID-19 vaccine.

To date, just over 47% of children aged 12-15 have been vaccinated in Rotherham but there are still over 7,200 children yet to receive the vaccine. Some pupils were not able to use the school-based programme because they had been absent on the day of the vaccination or due to recent COVID-19 infections.

Further information and guidance is available on the Your Health Rotherham website.

Earlier this week, the Director of Public Health for Rotherham, Ben Anderson, wrote to all parents and carers of school children to give them an update on some of the measures schools can implement to help stop cases of COVID from spreading in classes.

Read the letter here

Industrial action on buses in December

Industrial action has been planned across the four Stagecoach Yorkshire depots from Saturday 27 November to Saturday 4 December. This will affect Stagecoach bus services in Barnsley, Rotherham, Dearne Valley, Sheffield and West Yorkshire. No services will run on the dates affected from the depots concerned – check before you travel to check if your services are affected.  Dedicated school buses will be prioritised and are expected to run as normal. The affected days are below: Barnsley – Saturday 27 November – Friday 3 December Rawmarsh – Saturday 11 December – Friday 17 December Ecclesfield – Sunday 28 November – Saturday 4 December Holbrook – Sunday 12 December – Saturday 18 December Download a full list of the services affected here It is recommended that customers check service availability and use the journey planner tool at journeyplanner.travelsouthyorkshire.com to plan alternative journeys, where required. Use the Stagecoach Yorkshire website for the latest updates Follow @TSYalerts on Twitter - we will share what we know as soon as we can Call our Traveline team for help with alternative journeys on 01709 515151

Look after your mental health this winter

Looking after your mental health over the winter period is as important as looking after your physical health. If you or someone you know is struggling with their mental health, there is lots of support available through RotherHive. RotherHive provides a range of verified practical mental health and wellbeing information, support and advice for adults in Rotherham for many mental health and wellbeing issues, including: Anxiety Depression Eating disorders Sleeping problems Bereavement And many others Go online to rotherhive.co.uk/wellness-hive to find out more. Information about working well at your place of work and at home is also available.

Keeping you up-to-date

Click the image above to register for the Rotherham Round-up and receive bulletins direct to your inbox

We send out a free fortnightly e-bulletin, the Rotherham Round-Up to keep you up-to-date with what's happening across the borough.

The email includes a wide variety of news, video and events - you can view the last issue here (issued on 19 November).

It's free to sign up for the bulletins, which we usually issue on alternate weeks to this COVID update.

Click here if you want to receive the Rotherham Round-Up direct to your inbox.

Getting in touch…

During this challenging time please, where possible and appropriate, use our online services rather than calling via telephone. We're receiving a high level of calls daily and want to ensure we're able to answer urgent calls regarding vulnerable residents and our front line services.