Telford's flagship coronavirus vaccination site opens at International Centre
Hundreds of health and social care staff are being given coronavirus shots at Telford's International Centre after the much-anticipated opening of Shropshire's flagship vaccination site.
Healthcare workers young and old dutifully trooped through snowy conditions in Telford today to get their own shot of the Covid-19 vaccine.
It is a historic moment for the conference and events venue, which has been overhauled to house a clinic and a small army of volunteers to marshal socially distanced queues.
A one-way system is in place to minimise any risk of contact.
For now, there are 12 bays set out in a room where people can be vaccinated, but that is expected to increase to 36 as two neighbouring rooms are also adapted.
Health workers are among the first to be invited to the centre, in part to see how the system copes before the programme expands.
But it almost didn't begin at all this morning, after heavy snowfall over the weekend left the roads and car parks treacherous.
Hardy gritter crews worked through the early hours today to make sure the centre's car parks were safe for the hundreds of people arriving for their appointments, and snow was still being swept from the paths at about 11am.
The decision to go ahead was made at 9.30am. The first person to have their vaccination at the new hub was healthcare assistant Christopher Wall.
The Telford local, who is 46, said: "Everyone's got to have it – whether I was first or last it wouldn't have mattered to me.
"It is a relief to have it, but we've still got to wear our masks and keep our distance, whether we've had the vaccine or not."
Watching him leave vaccinated was a proud moment for Angie Wallace, the Covid-19 vaccination programme director for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin, who said she was "very humbled" to be leading the county's vaccination effort.
She estimated that between 600 and 700 people might be vaccinated today alone, and that that figure will increase in the coming days as capacity triples and the snow that has frustrated the opening melts away.
"It has been a logistical nightmare," she said. "Maintaining social distancing is so critical.
"People need to feel comfortable in coming into the environment.
"This is the flagship centre, it will always be the biggest centre."
She acknowledged disappointing figures for vaccinations in Shropshire (last week it emerged that fewer people have been given vaccinations in Shropshire than anywhere else in England) but she said that the International Centre site was set up as quickly as possible and that the figures will start to improve.
Inside the clinic, Dr Rob Colebrook was in scrubs and on hand to assist with any questions from nurses.
He was also there to help in the "one in a million" event of a serious adverse reaction to the vaccination.
"I'm really pleased to be able to take part, it's a huge thing that's been organised well.
"Speaking as someone who has had the vaccine myself, there is that gradual feeling of relief that the dangers from the virus are reducing every day that little bit more.
"It's important that people still take on board the government's social distancing guidelines even if they've been vaccinated."
Residents should wait until they are contacted about their vaccinations, and should not go to the International Centre or any vaccination site without an appointment.
