OXFORD VACCINE WILL BE HERE ‘WITHIN DAYS’
IT IS THE EASIEST YET TO TRANSPORT, ALLOWING NHS TO REACH MORE VULNERABLE PEOPLE
THE Oxford Astra-Zeneca Covid vaccine is to be available from northern Lincolnshire GP surgeries later this week.
North Lincolnshire GP Dr Satpal Shekhawat said the rollout would be a significant boost in the ability to vaccinate more isolated elderly people. He is also hopeful that a possible national lockdown or increased Tier 5 measures wouldn’t slow the programme’s rollout.
The British-developed coronavirus vaccine has been approved for use from today, Monday, January 4.
It is available in major hospitals now, and distribution will begin from the region’s primary centres within days. Dr Shekhawat, the medical director of the NHS North Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “The AstraZeneca vaccine has advantages which will make it easier for us to reach patients.
“It can be stored in a fridge, as opposed to the Pfizer vaccine needing to be at -70C, and can be used over the course of weeks, as opposed to three and a half days.
“As we don’t need to use all of the vaccines from a batch in one go, this makes it easier to take to smaller care homes and housebound people. We don’t have to be conscious about wasting the vaccines.
“The fact that there’s more supply also means that the rollout can proceed more quickly.”
Dr Shekhawat was also confident that the mass immunisation programme would continue through a potential lockdown.
He said: “The general public are legally allowed to attend medical appointments, so people would still be able to travel for vaccinations. “From a medical point of view, the planning and staffing is there to continue through a lockdown.
“The challenge would be elderly people who rely on family members for transport. However, we would find a way to reach housebound people. “The first few weeks of the programme have gone very well, they’ve been a great success whichever way you look at it.
“The response from patients has been very good, hardly anyone has declined to have the vaccination.
“A lot of the work so far has had to take place over Bank Holidays and the festive period, so with those out of the way we can press on with people getting immunised.”
A spokesperson for North East Lincolnshire Council said: “We are expecting to start receiving the Oxford vaccination for use by our Primary Care Network sites in the next few days. “Local residents don’t need to do anything right now. When it is your turn to be vaccinated you will receive an invitation from the NHS. “Despite this good news, it is absolutely vital that people do not become complacent.
“We ask people to keep following the very simple actions in the national guidance that keep you personally safe from infection - washing hands, wearing face coverings, maintaining social distancing and reducing social contact. This is still our best defence.” 82-year-old Brian Pinker, a dialysis patient, was the first person to receive the vaccine today.
More than 500,000 doses are ready to be distributed through hospitals today in what health secretary Matt Hancock has described as a “pivotal moment” in the Covid fight.