Mass Covid vaccination programme is on its way

LOCAL residents  have been advised by the NHS to wait  to be contacted as Wiltshire’s first batch of GP-led Covid-19 vaccines were administered in the county on Wednesday 8th December.

NHS staff have been working around the clock to deliver this part of the vaccine programme, by groups of GP practices working together, for selected people aged 80 and over prioritised by the independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

More local vaccination centres, are  coming online in the next few weeks. The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine. Patients are asked not to contact their GP practice, local hospital, or other local NHS services.

AS the country’s first vaccines were administered at the beginning of the month, local people reacted positively to an NHS update posted on a Westbury Facebook page, advising  Wiltshire residents to wait to be contacted. 

Users of the social media site “liked’ a post shared by RUH Bath to the town’s Spotted page, with one commenting, “Good news”.

White Horse News contacted Watersmead Care Home in White Horse Way which is run by The Orders of St John Care Trust. The trust said though it had started booking in frontline staff for vaccines across the country it was awaiting  news for Westbury specifically. An OSJCT spokesperson said since the vaccination became available to social care employees on 8th December it had been working closely with local authorities and hospitals to ensure  colleagues in Wiltshire, Sussex and Suffolk had the same opportunity as soon as possible.

The spokesperson said,  “Details on how the vaccination will the rolled out to care home residents are expected shortly and OSJCT has pledged to mirror the swift and smooth roll out that we are seeing for employees.”

Gill May, director of nursing and quality, Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said on Monday, “This is the greatest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS and, to help vaccinate people safely, we will be working with local communities to deliver the vaccine settings which are both convenient and familiar.

“The NHS will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine, so please do not contact your GP practice, local hospital, or other local NHS services.

“If you are given an appointment and are unable to attend, please let the team know as soon as you can, as this will allow somebody else to be protected.

“People unable to make their appointment will be able to rescheduled, and will not miss out.

“We know that people are very keen to find out about our developing Covid-19 vaccination programme across the local area, and we will share more updates as information becomes available.”

Further information on the vaccine is available online at www.nhs.uk.