Covid vaccine arrives in St Helens ahead of roll-out

GPs have been contacting patients over the past week to book them in for a jab, in preparation for the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history.

Mass vaccination clinics will be held at Saints’ Totally Wicked Stadium from Wednesday.

READ > What the upcoming Covid Tier review could mean for St Helens

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that GPs have taken delivery of around 1,000 doses of the vaccine this morning.

The first people to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations in St Helens will be people registered with a local GP practice who are over 80.

The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine.

Dr Hilary Flett, a GP at Mill Street Medical Centre and clinical lead for the Covid-19 vaccine roll-out in St Helens, has urged residents to attend the mass vaccination clinic when they are called up.

Dr Flett said: “This is the greatest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS and, to help vaccinate people safely, all our GP practices are working together to deliver the vaccine in a single community site.

“As a GP I am proud 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.”

People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers and NHS workers who are at higher risk were the first to receive the Pfizer jab last week at hospital hubs around the country.

There are 50 hubs in the first wave and more hospitals will start vaccinating over the coming weeks and months as the programme ramps up.

St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Whiston, St Helens and Newton hospitals, was not included in the first wave.

Margaret Keenan, 90, received her first dose of the vaccine to become a global trailblazer in Coventry last Tuesday.

The community sites, which are being co-ordinated by GP-led primary care networks, build on the work of these hospital hubs.

More practices and community pharmacies in other parts of England joining on a phased basis during December and in the coming months.

Professor Martin Marshall, chair of the Royal College of GPs, said: “GPs and their teams are about to embark on an enormous challenge, delivering the Covid-19 vaccination programme in the community whilst also delivering the expanded flu vaccine programme and the usual care and services our patients rely on us for.

“There are also logistical challenges, but general practice has an excellent track record of delivering mass vaccination programmes, and we want to use this experience to help protect people from Covid-19 and start getting life back to normal again.

“We won’t be vaccinating everyone all at once – it will be a relatively small number at first – but as long as there is supply, GPs and teams at selected sites will start vaccinating people this week, starting with our 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.”

Mass vaccination clinics will be held at Saints' Totally Wicked Stadium

The vaccine is given as two injections, 21 days apart.

Immunity should begin to kick in after the first dose, although it will take seven days at the second dose before it reaches its full effect.

The vaccine will be offered in age and risk order:

• People aged 80 and over
• People who live in care homes, frontline health and care workers
• People aged 75 and over
• People aged 70 and over
• Adults on the NHS shielded patients list
• People aged 65 and over
• Adults under 65 with a long-term condition

Those aged 50-64 will be offered the vaccine later.

People with a history of significant allergic reactions to medicines, food or vaccine should not have the vaccine at this time.

For more information, visit sthelensccg.nhs.uk/