Vaccinations at care homes
A GP in Halifax has said her colleagues in Calderdale had done “exceptionally well” to have almost all care home residents vaccinated by the weekend.
Dr Geetha Chandrasekaran said: “Although we’re delivering it in general practice and we’re at the forefront of the delivery, we’ve had quite a lot of support from our other partner organisations like the local authority.
“For example gritting roads, it seems an insignificant part but it all plays a massive part in what we can deliver, because we wouldn’t be able to do it without all our partner organisations and the volunteers who have come forward to help us with the programme.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said earlier this week that around half the elderly residents in care home across the country had now received the Covid vaccine.
Boo Dhiman, manager of Lee Mount Care Home, said: “The majority of our residents and staff have had the first dose of the vaccine on December 31, and we have been informed that the next dose will be in around 11 weeks.
“We were contacted by our local practice who worked with us to arrange the vaccine to happen at the Lee Mount with a team of nurse and practitioners who then administered the vaccine.
“Even though it was a bit stressful organizing everything we managed to get all the vacations required done and currently we have had nobody who has suffered from any side effects.
“We have access to vacations for all our staff and residents if new people start work at the service or for new residents.
“Everyone is just hoping really that this major step forward in getting back to normality.”
People in their 70s and those listed as extremely vulnerable will start receiving offers of a vaccine this week. It is thought around four million people have been given the jab so far in England, including more than half of people aged over 80.
Nadhim Zahawi, the minister responsible for the vaccine rollout, said this week he was confident government would meet its target to vaccinate all 15 million people in the top four priority groups by 15 February.