SILHILLIANS are being urged to get the Covid vaccine after Solihull’s Council leader said intensive care beds are full of the unvaccinated and un-boosted.
Councillor Ian Courts has warned residents: “Omicron is not ‘a cold’.
“The reason those infected with Omicron are largely having less severe symptoms is because they are fully vaccinated and boosted, and I am afraid intensive care beds are now full of the unvaccinated and un-boosted.”
This comes after Covid figures remain high in the borough at 1,496 per 100,000 in the week up to January 10.
He added: “I hope that anyone reading this will (surely please?!) have already been vaccinated, but if not, there are plenty of vaccination slots available to be booked or you can visit one of the walk-in clinics.
“As part of a more measured response to living with Covid, I was pleased to hear that the self-isolation rules have changed to five days, following two negative tests on day five and day six.
“This will help the NHS, care providers and every other business to better manage Covid absences, so they can keep going through this Omicron wave.”
Coun Courts added Solihull’s cabinet received a report from two Local Resilience Forums, Warwickshire and West Midlands Conurbation, on the collective response to Covid-19.
He said: “What we heard, if we did not already know it, is that across the region there was strong and positive partnership working characterised by commitment and engagement with “high levels of professionalism, flexibility and a willingness to help and support, with the spirit of getting things done ever present”.
“I can only pay tribute to the Council staff, our NHS and care sector and the community organisations and businesses who rose to the challenge over the past two years.
“Teams continued to deliver the services residents needed and expect in the face of immensely difficult circumstances, often going out to help and deal with situations and decisions when so many of us were locked down – remember, this was at a time before vaccinations had been rolled out and shown to be so successful.”
