Inside the city’s mass Covid vaccine centre
WHER 1,000 JABS A DAY ARE EXPECTED TO TAKE PLACE
WE have taken a first glimpse inside the mass coronavirus vaccination centre at Hull City Hall - and spoken to the man in charge of the effort under way there.
The City Hall centre opened its doors on Wednesday for the over70 population to receive their first dose of the vaccine after plans were revealed last week to turn the venue into a mass vaccination centre to support the city’s fight against Covid-19.
A total of 1,000 jabs are expected to take place per day at the centre once it reaches maximum capacity. On Wednesday, 200 vaccines had already been rolled-out with a further 400 to take place yesterday and 510 today.
In a gap between vaccinations, chief executive at City Health Care Partnership (CHCP) Andrew
Burnell, took the how they plan to population.
“We’re doing 70 and over,” he said. “The government have set a target that by May, most people over 50 would have had the first dose - so we have a task on our hands, but that’s good and that’s why we have places like these to get through the numbers.”
He added: “I know people have been frustrated at the waiting but we have to prioritise those who are much more vulnerable and some of the statistics on that are really quite telling.
“Today’s the first day we are starting to roll that programme out to the wider population and places like time to explain vaccinate Hull’s
Hull need that because of deprivation, people are in need, but also people across the country want to get back to normal again - it’s all hands to the pumps.
Mr Burnell went on to emphasise the importance of attending vaccine appointments once patients have been called: “We need people that if they do get an invite, please come and take that slot because at the end of the day that will be a slot wasted
and we can’t afford to do that.”
Speaking of setting the centre up in Hull’s iconic City Hall, he said: “It’s ideal because there’s bus and train routes in, people from 45 miles away will be given the choice to come here or to go to their GP or their pharmacists.”
The centre is expected to patients of a radius of up minutes away.
Mr Burnell explained cover to 45
more:
“It covers a big area, in Hull and East Riding we are part of what is cause Coast and Vale integrated care system.
“I would encourage everybody because the only way out of this is to have a vaccine.
“People listen to a lot of rubbish on social media that isn’t actually true, the reason we don’t see polio anymore is due to science and vaccination.”
MEMBERS of a drug gang who kidnapped a boy and put him through one hour of “pure terror” have been jailed for more than 25 years in total.
Cameron Wynne, 18, Clinton Prowell, 21, and Hamzah Ahmed, 26, kidnapped their 14-year-old victim and humiliated him after he told them he no longer wanted to sell drugs for their gang.
The boy had been forced into selling cannabis by his own father, who is currently wanted by police, but after a few days he refused to sell anymore drugs and the three gang members “plotted his punishment”.
“It is agreed that your victim was kidnapped and assaulted as punishment for his refusal to sell drugs,” said Judge John Thackray QC at Hull Crown Court.
“Over the past two to three years courts have become well familiar with criminal gangs recruiting children or young adults to sell drugs as it no doubt reduces the risk of detection.
“It was unheard of but it is now far more common, causing destruction in our communities. Incredibly and depressingly, your young victim’s father was involved in arranging for his son to supply drugs on your behalf.
“It made your victim vulnerable, not just because of his young age but his personal circumstances in not having a responsible father to turn to for support. “You all knew that and you exploited it.
“When your victim made it clear he didn’t wish to be involved the three of you plotted his punishment.”
On the evening of October 5, 2019, a black car with tinted windows driven by Wynne came to a halt next to the boy as he walked alone near shops in Greenwich Avenue.
“Feeling compelled through fear” the youngster got into the back seat of the vehicle and was driven around Hull at speed.
Both Wynne and Prowell, who was in the front passenger seat, turned to the backseat punching the victim several times before getting out of the car and continuing the assault through an open back door.
The pair then took the boy on a short drive until they stopped to allow Ahmed and a fourth accomplice to enter the vehicle, with the youngster sat between the two on the backseat.
Ahmed started kicking and punching him before the unknown fourth male pulled out a stun gun and used it upon the victim several times.
The four men then stopped in a park in Burnham Road where they dragged the 14-year-old out of the car and continued to assault him further.
After threatening to strangle the boy if he screamed and after making threats to go to his house and stab his mum and siblings if he “snitched” he was then forced to strip naked.
The terrifying ordeal came to an end when the four men saw that the youngster was bleeding and let him run away without his clothes. He was found cowered down by a road sign crying by a passer-by who took him into her own home, clothed him and called the police.
Judge Thackray described the kidnapping as “one hour of pure terror” for the young victim who says he is now “constantly looking over his shoulder” and has made attempts to take his own life due to the impact of the incident.
Addressing Cameron Wynne, who was only 16 at the time he committed the offence, Judge Thackray said that he was in “no doubt influenced by your co-accused who are older”.
“Having said that, you played an active role,” he added.
Wynne, of Stonebridge Avenue, east Hull, was sentenced to four years in a young offender’s institute.
Hamzah Ahmed, who was serving a two-year suspended sentence for dealing Class A drugs at the time of the offence, was sentenced to nine years for his role in the kidnapping.
Clinton Prowell, of no fixed abode, was given a 12-and-ahalf year sentence after Judge Thackray considered him a dangerous offender.
He was given an eight-and-ahalf year sentence for his role in the kidnapping with a four year extended licence added on top.
Cameron Wynne