Coronavirus vaccine to be rolled out at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Coronavirus vaccinations will be given out in Shropshire this week during the start of the biggest immunisation programme in history.
People aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers, will be first to receive the jab, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.
Health workers have been preparing for the launch of the programme, with the first vaccinations set to take place on Tuesday.
There are 50 hubs delivering the vaccines in the first wave of the scheme, including the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH), which runs Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and Telford's Princess Royal Hospital.
Dr Arne Rose, executive medical director at SaTH, said: “We welcome the news that the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital has been selected to be one of the first ‘hospital hubs’ in the country for the vaccination against Covid-19 programme.
“We’re working as a joined-up local health and care partnership including the NHS, local government organisations, independent organisations and voluntary sector groups to ensure that we prioritise those at highest risk for the vaccination, as outlined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
“We would like to remind people that they should not come to the hospital for a vaccine, and the NHS will contact people to arrange an appointment to attend. This will be a rolling programme and further sites will be added in the coming months. In the meantime I’d like to urge everyone to be patient, remain vigilant and follow your local coronavirus restrictions.”
Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the jab.
Hospitals will also begin inviting over 80s in for the vaccine and work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics.
Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from Covid. All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.
GPs and other primary care staff are also being put on standby to start delivering the jab. A small number of GP-led primary care networks will begin doing so from Monday December, 14, with more practices in more parts of the country joining in on a phased basis during December and the following months.
Vaccination centres treating large numbers of patients in sporting venues and conference centres will be subsequently set up when further supplies of vaccine come on stream.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said: “Despite the huge complexities, hospitals will kick-start the first phase of the largest scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history from Tuesday. The first tranche of vaccine deliveries will be landing at hospitals by today in readiness.
Challenge
“The NHS has a strong record of delivering large scale vaccination programmes – from the flu jab, HPV vaccine and lifesaving MMR jabs – hardworking staff will once again rise to the challenge to protect the most vulnerable people from this awful disease.”
The potentially life-saving vaccine is typically delivered by a simple injection in the shoulder, but there is a complex and difficult logistical challenge to deliver from the manufacturers Pfizer to patients.
It needs to be stored at -70C before being thawed out, and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used.
NHS staff have been working over the weekend to prepare the sites and accept deliveries.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “This coming week will be an historic moment as we begin vaccination against Covid-19.
“We are prioritising the most vulnerable first and over-80s, care home staff and NHS colleagues will all be among the first to receive the vaccines.
“We are doing everything we can to make sure we can overcome significant challenges to vaccinate care home residents as soon as possible too.
“I urge everybody to play their part to suppress this virus and follow the local restrictions to protect the NHS while they carry out this crucial work.”
