AN ADDITIONAL £500,000 has been authorised to spend in Wokingham Borough Council’s response to the coronavirus pandemic.
On the day that Berkshire was placed into Tier 3 restrictions, the ruling Executive agreed the expenditure. It will be used for three purposes: to implement lateral flow (quick) tests which will allow residents to visit friends and family in care homes; to boost contact tracing; and to support the roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine, which started earlier this week.
Introducing the motion, Cllr Charles Margetts, the executive member for health, wellbeing and adult services, said that so far 20 care homes have signed up to the scheme and up to 200 lateral tests could be conducted every day.
It would allow “visitors to visit their relatives in care homes and to have physical contact with them – to hold hands, and do all those things”. The visitors would need to wear appropriate PPE, and tests would need to be booked in advance.
The council hopes to boost its contract tracing from its 90% success rate.
“We can expand this capacity going forward and make sure that we’ve got enough people to deal with whatever comes up over the next few months,” he said.
The vaccine rollout “is great news and needs to happen as quickly as possible”.
“We’re expecting a vast increase in the number of vaccines and capacity early in the new year,” Cllr Margetts said.
“This funding is to make sure we’re in a position, if needed, to provide staff to support the NHS and (West Berkshire Clinical Commissioning Group) and delivering this programme as quickly as they can which, for obvious reasons, is for the benefit of all of our residents.”
Cllr Pauline Jorgensen wanted to know how the virus would be distributed, noting that the inoculation programme had started this week in Wargrave and Finchampstead.
The borough has been split into five areas by the NHS, and each of them will be offering the vaccine before the end of the year, Cllr Margetts replied, saying this was “obviously good news”.
“Every part of Wokingham will be vaccination centre serving us,” he added.
The Executive voted in favour of the proposals.