Covid ‘V-day’ as vaccinations begin at UK hospitals

Oxford’s Churchill Hospital is one of 50 hubs chosen to roll out the first wave of jabs, with stock of the vaccine delivered to sites from Sunday.

Signs for a Covid-19 Vaccination Centre at the Royal Free Hospital in London. Picture: PA

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the Churchill, was unable yesterday to confirm when it will start vaccinations but chief executive Dr Bruno Holthof said he was ‘very proud’ the site had been selected for such a ‘historic’ moment.

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People aged 80 and older, care home workers and NHS workers who are at higher risk are at the front of the queue for the Pfizer jabs, which must be stored at -70C.

Dr Bruno HolthofDr Holthof said: “We are very proud that the Churchill Hospital in Oxford has been chosen as one of the first Covid-19 vaccination hospital hubs and I would like to pay tribute to our estates, digital, procurement and clinical staff who have worked incredibly hard to get our hub ready in a very short space of time.

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“We look forward to playing our part in this historic Covid-19 vaccination programme which will bring real hope to the communities we serve.”

Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital for outpatient appointments, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the jab.

Public Health England of specialist Covid-19 vaccine freezers in a secure location, awaiting distribution of the vaccines to the NHS. Picture: PA

Hospitals will also begin inviting over 80s in for a vaccine and work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics. Oxfordshire County Council has confirmed it is ‘working closely’ with NHS partners and care home providers to ‘ensure that arrangements are in place to start delivering the vaccination programme as soon as supplies become available’.

Any appointments not used for the above groups will be used for frontline NHS staff who are at highest risk.

All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.

Since Sunday, the 50 hospital hubs have been receiving doses of the vaccine with Mr Hancock tweeting yesterday: “All parts of the UK now have doses of the coronavirus vaccine.”

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Sir Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: “Coronavirus is the greatest health challenge in NHS history, taking loved ones from us and disrupting every part of our lives.

“Hospitals have now cared for more than 190,000 seriously ill Covid-19 patients and have seen beds fill up again in recent weeks.

“The deployment of this vaccine marks a decisive turning point in the battle with the pandemic. NHS vaccination programmes which have successfully helped overcome tuberculosis, polio, and smallpox, now turn their focus to coronavirus.

A card will be given to patients following a vaccination (Gareth Fuller/PA)

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, has warned the roll out of a jab will be a marathon not a sprint.

The vaccine is typically delivered by an injection in the shoulder but there is a difficult logistical challenge to get the jab 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.

Aside from the logistical difficulties of the Pfizer vaccine, the Royal College of Nursing has warned getting people to return for a second dose of could be a ‘key challenge’ in the rollout.

People who receive the coronavirus vaccine will be given a card to show others they have had the vaccine and remind them to get the second dose.