COVID JABS BEFORE CHRISTMAS
DATE REVEALED FOR START OF VACCINE ROLL-OUT IN NOTTS
COVID-19 vaccinations are expected to be rolled out from Wednesday, December 9 in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, providing the vaccine is approved by the Government.
The huge mobilisation of resources is expected to be ready by Tuesday, December 1, and the local NHS is “poised” to deliver the vaccinations, starting with the most vulnerable people.
The vaccines, some of which need to be stored at extremely low temperatures, will be stored at two giant hubs – one in the city and another in the north of the county.
There will also be two “mass vaccination” sites, again in the city and another in the north, as well as “satellite” sites and a roaming service.
In a public council meeting yesterday, the executive incident director at Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG, Sarah Carter, said staff and volunteers were now being recruited.
“We’ve been working to prepare to deliver what will be, without doubt, the most unprecedented scale of vaccination programme we’ve experienced. We’ve approximately 1.3/1.4 million vaccinations to deliver.”
She said the list of priority for vaccinations will be in the following order: older adults in residential care homes and care home workers; those who are over 80 years of age and health and social care workers; all those who are 75 years of age and older; all those who are aged 70 years and over; 65 years of age and older; higher risk adults under 65 years of age and moderate risk adults under 65; then it goes down in age cohorts to 18.
Ms Carter added: “It includes two vaccine supply hubs, one in the city and one in the north of the county, and a consumables hub.
“Many of these vaccines require very, very low-temperature storage, so we’re arranging for really deep refrigeration environments in those vaccine supply hubs.
“We have gone out to the whole of the (healthcare) system to try to recruit volunteers and individuals who will be able to work in those hubs, and support the delivery of the vaccine.”
Ms Carter was speaking at a virtual meeting of the Nottingham Outbreak Control Engagement Board yesterday.