800,000 people and 2m jabs

VACCINATION teams across Derbyshire have vaccinated 800,000 people and delivered two million jabs in one year of the county’s Covid-19 vaccination programme.

On December 18, 2020 101-year-old Robert StopfordTaylor became the first person in the county to be vaccinated outside a hospital when he received his jab at Stubley Medical Centre.

Since then, teams across Derbyshire have vaccinated nearly 800,000 people, administering nearly two million doses.

Derby and Derbyshire has been particularly successful in vaccinating children, consistently ranking among the top five systems in England for uptake among people under the age of 18 since school-age immunisation teams began visiting schools in September.

Derby Arena was one of the most high-profile vaccinations centres in England, beginning operations in early January. By the end of the month, it was the only site in England to have operated as both a local vaccination service, run by GP practices, and as a Vaccination Centre catering to patients from anywhere in the country.

Its success led to visits by the Prime Minister and the Chief Executive of the NHS, Sir Simon Stevens, and it became one of several Derbyshire sites to appear in the regional, national and international media.

An initiative to vaccinate people with a history of homelessness and rough sleeping won the Lionel Massingham award from Derby City Mission for the successful collaboration between local GPs, East Midlands Ambulance Service and Derbyshire City Council.

Community Pharmacies have also played a key role in the programme, running clinics in a variety of venues to complement those provided by the clinics run by GPs and by Derbyshire Community Healthcare Services NHS Foundation Trust. Other agencies and organisations have also contributed significantly, particularly Derby City Council and Derbyshire County Council, as well as East Midlands Ambulance Service and DHU Healthcare.