‘It’s brilliant – an amazing collaboration’
At the University of Southampton, Professor Saul Faust has been focusing on delivering Covid vaccine trials and managing trials treatments and diagnostic tests across the Wessex region.
All vaccines available in the UK have been rigorously tested, and Professor Faust – director of the National Institute for Health Research’s Clinical Research Facility – has been instrumental in making sure that happens safely. Now he’s proud to see the vaccine being rolled out.
“It’s been brilliant – an amazing collaboration across the research and NHS networks,” he says. “Without the vaccine and NHS deployment, we will not be able to prevent further waves and impact that would have on the NHS.
“Even if the infection becomes an endemic condition like flu, the vaccine will stop people dying, and stop most people becoming so ill they have to go to hospital.”
So what would he say to people who are worried about getting the vaccine? “Please look around at how successful this has been so far, without lots of side effects. Hopefully this will give people confidence to take the vaccine when offered,” he says.
“When it comes to the time between doses, many vaccines involve longer delays between doses that often provide better immunity in the longer term.
“The vaccination programme is being rolled out in the way that is best for the UK population, and to try to ease pressure on the NHS and stop people dying. The scientific data is robust. It is better to give one dose to more people and then top it up. This is not a political decision; it is a scientific one based on robust data so far.”
When we take off the uniform at night we’re just regular people, and we want to get back to normal – going to the pub and seeing friends
“We’ve got 11 teams operational across Scotland,” he explains. “I’ve got eight people in my team in Glasgow, plus a reserve back in Leuchars. NHS Scotland has scouted out the key sites, and we go in with a checklist that involves assessing things like how big the car park is, and whether there’s enough space for the centre – to set out the number of vaccination cells that they want. Then there are issues like, where can we put the vaccination fridges? Is there good ventilation – not only in the hall, but in the room to keep the fridges cool?”
Each person involved in the vaccination programme has valuable skills to bring to the project, and their determination to work together and make a difference really shows.
“Every single organisation, whether that be NHS Scotland, the military, the local authorities or the contractors is bringing its own expertise,” says Calum. “The Army brings organisational capacity and a can-do attitude. It’s a vast effort by everyone involved. Then we’re helping to think outside the box; the Scots DG has had some experience working with this sort of military aid to civil authorities, as we were deployed earlier in the pandemic to construct mobile testing units.
And as the vaccination programme has shown so far, speed is of the essence – and with more than 10 million people across the UK already having received their first dose, things are moving fast.
“A large centre, like most of the ones in Glasgow that I’ve been working on, will handle 1,818 people per day – someone has really done the maths! I know some of the other guys have been working on extra- large ones whose capacity is even greater,” says Calum, who stresses how proud he is to be