OLDHAM Council has praised residents for helping to prevent the spread of coronavirus as the infection rate in the town falls – but has warned them to "remain vigilant" as the situation can quickly change.

Like the rest of the country, the borough's infection rate has dropped significantly in recent weeks with the number of positive cases per 100,000 people in Oldham in the week up to February 3 standing at 491.1.

That figure is much lower than the UK average of 864.1.

Oldham Council's cabinet member for health and social care, Cllr Zahid Chauhan, who is also a GP, is pleased to see the fall in cases but has asked people to keep playing their part by getting Covid-19 tests when needed and to get their vaccinations.

He said: “It’s great to see our Covid-19 positivity rate is decreasing in line with the national trend, and we would like to thank our residents for their continued efforts in preventing the spread.

“However, the fact remains that this virus hasn’t gone away, and we are still seeing new cases of Covid-19 and reinfection across all of our communities, so we must remain vigilant as we know how quickly the situation can change – especially following the impact caused by Omicron.

“This includes keeping up with things like testing before we go out and registering our results as this plays a huge part in helping us to identify where the virus is spreading – even more so when we’re longer being asked to go for a PCR test if we test positive with no symptoms.

“Similarly, we must continue to come forward for our vaccinations and boosters, if we haven’t already, as these protect us all against severe disease and subsequently putting additional pressures on our health and social care system.

“We continue to run a number of vaccine clinics across the borough, seven days a week, for first, second and booster doses to ensure everyone can get the protection they need, and this includes pop-up clinics in areas of lower uptake.

“We also remain heavily active in our local communities on spreading the importance of the vaccination, including having discussions on the doorstep with residents to address their concerns.

“By working together we can continue to improve the situation in our borough.”