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FIRST LOOK IN THE ASHTON GATE VACCINATION HUB
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THIS is the first look inside what is about to become one of the biggest vaccination centres in the country.
Part of Ashton Gate stadium has been transformed into a ‘supervaccination’ hub for the Bristol and wider South West region, and thousands of people every day could be about to pass through the doors and get their Covid-19 jab.
The stadium’s south stand concourse has been converted into a place where NHS staff will be delivering the vaccine in large numbers.
The stand, built in 2015, still has its Bristol City artwork on the walls and ceiling, celebrating legendary former players and key moments in the club’s history, like the FA Cup victory over Liverpool in 1994.
But while no fans are allowed in the stadium, the concourse will soon be buzzing with nursing staff administering the vaccine to people from across Bristol and the surrounding area, as an additional resource to the GP surgeries, primary care centres and hospitals that are already vaccinating the elderly and most vulnerable people.
Stadium boss Mark Kelly said everyone at the ground was “incredibly proud” to be able to support the NHS.
He said: “The stadium sits in the heart of the community and to be able to help in whatever way we can is a real honour.
“We have previously partnered with the NHS for Covid testing here at the stadium, and it is perfectly set up to be able to help the NHS with this incredibly important programme.
“The NHS is leading the programme and they will be managing the distribution of the vaccine, starting with priority groups identified by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).
“The vaccination centre has taken over the south concourse of the stadium and it is a self-contained space with plenty of room for social distancing, enabling a safe and efficient delivery of the vaccine, including one-way systems.”
The Government confirmed on Wednesday the location of seven “super-vaccination” centres in England that will open next week.
Number 10 said regional centres would be opening across the country in London, Surrey, Newcastle, Birmingham, Manchester, Stevenage and Bristol.
In early December, the Post exclusively revealed that the army would be setting up a regional vaccination hub in the South Stand concourse of the stadium, with soldiers arriving days later to manage the logistics of the transformation.
With the approval of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine and the aim
for two million shots to be administered every week within weeks, bosses at Ashton Gate confirmed at the end of December the stadium is ready to welcome people from all over the South West to come for their jabs.
Number 10 said that across the country, the conference and sports centres will be staffed by a mixture of NHS staff and volunteers.
The stadium in Bristol will be in addition to GP surgeries and hospitals in the city and the South West region, which will also be co-ordinating their own vaccination programmes.
The more people who get vaccinated the quicker coronavirus restrictions can be lifted, including the current ban on fans attending matches at Ashton Gate.
If, or when, that does happen and fans are allowed back in, the design of the stadium means both the vaccine hub and the matches can continue at the same time.
Mr Kelly said: “Matchdays will continue as they have been throughout the pandemic, and when fans are able to return to stadia, we will be able to accommodate that alongside the vaccination programme.
“This is what the stadium is designed for - a multi-use stadium, a stadium for the community.
“It’s a credit to Martin Griffiths and the team behind the actual design of the stadium that we’re able to facilitate matchday on the pitch, and the vaccines off the pitch.”
The stadium sits in the heart of the community and to be able to help in whatever way we can is a real honour
Mark Kelly