...As 2,500 vaccinated in just 4 days at 1 UK clinic by Blitz spirit volunteers

THE battle against the coronavirus scourge is being waged in village halls and community centres across Britain as an army of volunteers and NHS staff provide vaccines for the most vulnerable in society.

As so often in the past, the trojan efforts of small groups of ordinary people are helping to bring the nation back from the brink with their determination, courage and sheer Blitz spirit.

Many are sacrificing their time – and annual leave – to ensure vital jabs are given to the most elderly and vulnerable.

The usual yoga classes and Weight Watchers meetings at the Nevendon Community Centre in Wickford, Essex, have been on hold since the town was placed under stringent tier 4 restrictions.

GPs have now converted the spacious hall into a makeshift clinic. On New Year’s Day Dr Olugbenga Odutola and his team were up early to open the centre at 8am.

The GP said he and many of the NHS staff were sacrificing precious holiday time to be there.

‘Everyone involved understands what a big step forward the vaccine is,’ he said. ‘It is about giving people hope. That is vital and is why many people have given up their own time to help out.’

The doctor and his team of 11 nurses, pharmacists and administrative staff had given jabs to 2,500 people – many of them pensioners most at risk of dying from the virus – over the course of four days.

In the car park, Rotary Club volunteers helped direct arrivals before they queued in the cold for their jab. As elderly couples held hands waiting for their turn, there was an undeniable atmosphere of hope that the endless cycle of lockdowns could soon be over.

The wooden floor of the brickbuilt community centre is marked out for badminton and table tennis. Now it is divided by blue clinical screens to give privacy.

Each patient spent around 20 minutes at the centre. First, they had their temperature taken and answered a questionnaire to check they did not have any symptoms.

Having the jab took seconds, after which each recipient was asked to remain at the centre for ten further minutes to make sure there was no adverse reaction. So far there have been none, Dr Odutola said.

‘I didn’t feel a thing,’ declared Margery Fairley, 93.

Displaying the stoicism and steely determination typical of those who lived through the Second World War, she added: ‘I am very pleased that I was able to get it done.’

Her daughter, Elsbeth Harris, 60, expressed her relief, saying: ‘You can’t help but worry. The family are delighted. Hopefully it will mean we can mix more freely when restrictions are eased.’

More than a million people have received a jab in the UK since the first in the world was given to Margaret Keenan, 91, on December 8 at University Hospital, Coventry.

More than 10,000 volunteers and medics have been recruited for the vaccine rollout.