More local vaccination services run by family doctors and their teams will open across mid and south Essex today (Friday 18 December 2020), as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history continues to gain further momentum.
Another four local vaccination centres are launching today in the following locations;
Audley Mills Surgery, Rayleigh
Maldon District Council Offices (for Blackwater Medical Centre, Longfield Medical Centre and Tollesbury Surgery)
The Valkyrie Surgery, Westcliff-On-Sea
The Nevendon Centre, Wickford
These are in addition to centres that have already opened earlier this week in Brentwood, Rochford, Danbury, Leigh-On-Sea and Grays.
Nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other NHS staff will work alongside GPs to vaccinate those aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and other health care workers, identified as priority groups for the vaccine.
Residents of care homes will also receive their first vaccine shortly after distributors finalise new, stringent processes to ensure safe delivery of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine.
Like hospital staff at Basildon University Hospital (part of NHS Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust), who launched their campaign last week, local practice teams are working rapidly to redesign their sites and put in place safe processes to meet the tough logistical challenges of offering the vaccination.
The local NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine and local residents are being asked not to contact their practice enquiring about vaccination.
Dr Alex Shaw, local GP from Leigh-on-sea and Clinical Director for SS9 Primary Care Network said: “I am proud to have been selected as one of the first GP sites in the country to deliver the Covid vaccination programme. It’s fantastic to be part of this huge national effort to protect our patients against the virus and I would urge the public to come forward when they are called up for the vaccine.
We are not able to vaccinate everyone all at once – it will be a relatively small number at first – but we’ve already made a good start vaccinating most vulnerable patients. Patients will be contacted and invited for vaccination – we would urge them not to contact their practice enquiring about vaccination, we will contact them.”
Patients receive two doses of the Pfizer vaccine by injection into their upper arm, at least 21 days apart. For further information about the vaccine visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/
