Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Bath Racecourse joins vaccination fight
MASS vaccination centres will open at Salisbury City Hall and Bath Racecourse next week, the NHS has announced.
All people currently eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine and living within a 45-minute drive of each venue will be written to in the coming days with details of how to book an appointment.
People who receive a letter will be able to choose whether to receive their jab at Salisbury City Hall or Bath Racecourse, or wait to be invited to a GP-led vaccination clinic.
The new large-scale centres, which will be open seven days a week, have been designed to offer people who are able to travel a potentially faster route to receiving the vaccine, the NHS said.
Gill May, director of nursing and quality at Bath and North East Somerset, Swindon and Wiltshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “I’m delighted to announce the opening of these two large-scale vaccination centres, which are the first of their kind in our region.
“Getting these two venues up and running with the help of our community and voluntary sector partners, such as St John Ambulance and 3SG, will allow us to provide even more opportunities for people to get vaccinated in addition to what is already being offered at our GP-led sites.
“We know that many people in line for the vaccine are still very much mobile, and also incredibly eager to be vaccinated, and we hope these new venues will help us to carry out more vaccinations and ultimately protect more families from
This centre will make a huge difference to our communities, saving lives and reducing pressure on the health service DR BRUCE LAURENCE
the heartbreak that is so often associated with coronavirus.”
Letter are being addressed to people in the region over the age of 80. Those aged over 70, along with front
line health and care workers, are due to receive an invitation in the coming weeks.
People are asked not to attend the venues without an appointment as vaccination staff will not be able to give the jab to anyone without a prearranged slot.
Cllr Philip Whitehead, leader of Wiltshire Council, said: “We are proud to play our part in this monumental effort to roll out the vaccine as quickly and safely as possible.
“A vaccine is the light at the end of the tunnel and thanks to the efforts of hugely talented scientific research teams, we find ourselves in this much more hopeful position.
“However, the rollout of the vaccine is a huge logistical undertaking involving many partners and organisations across the country and will take some time.
“In the meantime everyone must keep following the rules to keep each other as safe as possible.”
Dr Bruce Laurence, director of public health at Bath and North East Somerset Council, said he was “thrilled” the racecourse was opening as a mass vaccination centre.
“This centre will make a huge difference to our communities, saving lives, reducing pressure on the health service and, eventually, helping us all reclaim our freedoms,” Dr Laurence said.
Liam Johnson, executive director of Bath Racecourse, said the site was “really pleased” to offer its facilities for vaccinations.
“We hope that this will be of benefit to many people around the community,” he said.