‘We’ll be able to look back and say we allowed people to get back to their normal lives’
Phase two of the vaccination rollout is in full flow as Wales approaches one million people given a jab. Health correspondent Mark Smith spoke to some of those working at the mass vaccination centre in Splott, Cardiff
WHEN the mass vaccination centre first opened at Cardiff and Vale Therapy Centre in Splott on December 8, 2020, around four people were being given a jab every 15 minutes.
With only a handful of trained staff on duty at the time, there was a conscious effort to prepare and administer the vaccines in the most careful way possible.
But fast forward three months and the rollout programme is now in full flow, with as many as 20 patients getting immunised in the space of 10 minutes across 18 private cubicles.
Yesterday afternoon, the centre on SplottRoadw as teeming with socially distanced health and care workers receiving their second - and final dose of the Pfizer vaccine, finally offering them full protection against the potential harms of Covid-19.
Everyone from doctors and nurses, to dentists, optometrists, members of the Armed Forces and even vets have been drafted in as part of the huge collective effort to inoculate all those in the top nine priority categories by April 15 - and all eligible adults by July 31.
“We might feel proud now, but give it 10 years and I think everyone involved in this vaccination effort will be able to look back and say we allowed people to get back to work, get back to meeting each other and get back to their normal lives,” said Tracy Meredith, head of operations at the centre.
“I tell my team that every single vaccination administered is making that person’s life so much better.”
Over the last fortnight there has been a significant drop-off in the rollout due to planned vaccine supply shortages, which Tracy said has inadvertently allowed vaccinators to take a well-earned break.
“It has also allowed more staff to be trained up so we can pull more people through from a workforce perspective,” she added.
But she said there is set to be a huge upsurge in the volumes of AstraZeneca vaccines coming into Wales from March 8 which means operational plans have had to be put in place in record time to ensure no doses are wasted.
“This is a batch that is running out in two weeks, so we have to plan accordingly and be very flexible, but I think as a nation we’ve come together very well. Nationally, and between health boards, we talk every day and have learned from each other as we all see things differently.”
While Splott is concentrating on second doses, mass vaccination centres in Barry and Pentwyn will focus on the upcoming AstraZeneca first doses for those in lower priority categories. University Hospital Llandough is also operating as a “satellite” centre to help get through the Pfizer second doses as quickly as possible.
Pervaze Jan, who was starting his first day at the Splott centre yesterday, volunteered to be a part of the vaccination effort on his days off from working as a full-time optometrist.
“We all received an invitation from Cardiff and Vale University Health Board to contribute in whichever way we could,” he said.
“We were given the opportunity to take part in some online training before coming in for some practical training, and now I’m here as a vaccinator which is wonderful.
“It’s been interesting to see the variety of professionals coming in and offering their services, whether they are ushering people in, administering the jabs or reconstituting the vaccines in the pharmacy room.
“You really do feel like part of a healthcare team.”
He added that his independent eyecare practice has been able to ease the pressure on acute hospital services during the pandemic.
“One of the ways we contributed was to set up an emergency eye clinic to relieve the pressure on [the University Hospital of Wales’] eye department because they were inundated during the pandemic and were unable
to cope, so they sent a lot of patients to us in the community,” he said.
“It’s been done in a very efficient way so patients haven’t faced delays in their treatment.”
Last weekend the Welsh Government reached the milestone of administering more than one million doses of the vaccine, and by the end of this week in excess of one million people are likely to have received their first dose as the current figures stands at 933,485.
In addition, more than 3% of the population have now had two doses of the vaccine - a larger proportion than any other part of the UK.
Third-year Cardiff University student Jasmine Chrisene, who was coming towards the end of her six-hour shift at the vaccination centre, said the pandemic has taught her a great deal about being a nurse.
She saw her studies temporarily halted as she was thrust into the frontline last year, working on wards with Covid-positive patients for several months.
“I saw patients who’d contracted Covid in hospital as well as patients who were recovering. The thing that was quite sad at the time was the fact relatives weren’t allowed to come in. To experience all that on your own is just not nice,” she said.
“I now feel very honoured and grateful to be a part of this vaccination programme. It’s really helped my confidence personally and it’s so nice to meet people who are so grateful to be receiving the vaccine.”
Debbie Worthing, one of the clinical supervisors, has been working at the vaccination centre since January alongside her normal clinical research role in the Welsh NHS.
She praised the cooperation of the general public and urged those who are unsure about receiving the jab to attend in person and see the process for themselves.
“It’s important to remember if people don’t come in to have their vaccination, the programme won’t be effective.
“We need that compliance from the population,” she added.
“To those who are hesitant, I would just say that they should come down for their vaccination and we will talk to them about any concerns they may have. We are a very friendly group here.”
The leader of Cardiff council Huw Thomas, who was also at the centre yesterday, said it was “surreal” seeing the sports hall being transformed into such an important community venue.
“This is where the election count was when I was first elected, and yet now it’s being used for this vitally-important vaccination programme,” he said.
“The council is really proud and happy to be involved in the rollout of the vaccine. We had been working closely with the health board several months before a vaccine was available, planning what a rollout might look like, the logistics involved, the types of buildings required and traffic management.”
He said he was confident that Cardiff could recover from this pandemic despite it decimating the retail, hospitality and nightlife economy.
“Cardiff is synonymous with big music events and major sporting fixtures – and we’ve had none of that for 12 months,” he added.
“What we as a council are looking at is how we plan for a ‘restart’ as the lockdown eases, then the recovery, and ultimately a renewal.
“There are big questions now being asked about what does the future life of a city look like. Are we going to see people commuting into the city centre at the volumes we saw preCovid?
“We need to look at what opportunities can be presented to a mediumsized city like Cardiff when compared with the Londons of this world so we can take advantage of our comparative strengths and deliver a recovery which also addresses some of the other health inequalities we know existed in Cardiff before the pandemic.”