A LABOUR MP has welcomed a support package to tackle Covid for the North East as infections soar.


All 12 local authorities in the North East and Tees Valley have been identified as an Enhanced Response Area (ERA) and will be added to the list of areas receiving an enhanced response package due to the high prevalence of Covid cases.


Andy McDonald, MP for Middlesbrough, said: “This support is welcomed but it is overdue. It has been clear for some time that infection rates in our area have been rising sharply and compared with other regions, the take-up of the Covid vaccination has been low. 
“It is vital that our public health team and local authority are given all the support they need to put in additional resources for targeted testing and encouraging people to get their vaccination.  
“It feels the North East has been overlooked again – we should have had this support before now to avoid such high infection rates.” 


The support package includes the option to deliver extra testing in these targeted areas, the provision of logistical support to maximise vaccine and testing uptake, and further help for local public health campaigns. 

 

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