Hundreds will get their jab at rugby club
HUNDREDS of people will receive their Covid-19 vaccination at a rugby club from this week.
Furnace House Surgery, in the centre of Carmarthen, has begun contacting patients over 80 years of age, inviting them to make an appointment to get their vaccinations.
The doses will then be administered at Carmarthen Athletic Rugby Club in the Johnstown area of the town, which offers more space for social distancing.
It’s not the first time the club has stepped up to the plate when needed to by the local health board. In 2020, around 2,500 people were inoculated with the flu jab at the club over a three-week period, a move that enabled Furnace House Surgery to get more of its patients protected against flu at a time before any coronavirus vaccines had been developed.
Now people will be vaccinated against Covid-19 at the club but on a strictly appointment-only basis as Hywel Dda University Health Board ramps up its roll-out of the vaccination programme across the county, as well as in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.
There are now three types of Covid-19 vaccines which have been approved – Pfizer-biontech, Oxford /Astrazeneca and Moderna.
Supplies of the latter are not expected to be made available in the UK until the spring, but more than 125,000 people across Wales have now received their first doses of one of the other two.
Thousands of doses have been delivered to the Hywel Dda region, which have been and will continue to be offered through six GP practices in Carmarthenshire, four in Ceredigion and four in Pembrokeshire, while others have been delivered to mass vaccination centres located in Carmarthen and Cardigan.
People in West Wales have received a letter in the past few days outlining how and when they are likely to receive their vaccinations, with the health board making it clear that residents will receive an invitation at the appropriate time, together with details of where to go.
The letter confirms: “Everyone will get two doses of the vaccine but you will have a high level of protection after the first dose. You will be called back for your second dose within 12 weeks of the first.”
This week will see the GP surgeries inviting people aged 80 and over to receive their vaccinations; they are the second group on the priority list after people who live in care homes and their carers.
The next group on the priority list is people aged 75 and over, then people aged 70 and over and those on the extremely clinically vulnerable list, followed by those aged 65 and over. Next in line will be those aged between 16 and 64 who have one of a list of underlying health conditions, followed by everyone aged 60 and over, 55 and over, and then 50 and over.
Everyone who receives a first dose of a vaccine will be given an NHS Wales immunisation card which will act as a reminder about the second dose and include details of how to report any side effects.
The manager of Furnace House Surgery, Anne Jenkins, said: “We would like to thank Carmarthen Athletic Rugby Club who have now agreed for us to use the venue for the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccines.
“We are contacting patients who are 80 and over during the next couple of weeks. We would kindly ask people to be patient as we are working hard to ensure they are seen as quickly as possible.
“Please do not phone the practice to make an appointment as staff at Furnace House are actively contacting patients either by phone or letter. The Covid-19 vaccination clinics will work on an appointmentonly basis.”
Carmarthen Athletic Rugby Club echoed the thoughts of many by expressing hope that the increased delivery of vaccines would see a gradual return to normality in the near future.
A spokesman for the club said: “Following the successful roll-out of flu vaccinations at the club last October, we are delighted to announce that the club will once again host Furnace House Surgery patients to receive Covid-19 jabs.
“The approved vaccines will be administered to patients at the clubhouse.
“We hope and pray that this will signal the beginning of the end of this dreadful virus and we can all return to a normal life sometime during this year.”