by A pharmacy technician from Croydon Health Services takes delivery at Croydon University Hospital in Croydon of the first batch of Covid-19 vaccinations to be delivered to the area
A coronavirusvaccine has arrived in UK hospitals to be used for the first time in the battle against the virus in the country – as health officials say many of the most vulnerable will not receive the immunisation until 2021.
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said the distribution of the vaccine would be a marathon not a sprint, while Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said people need to hang fire and be assured they have not been forgotten if they have not received a letter or a phone call about the jab.
I dont think people should expect anything over the next few days Mr Hopson said, because the reality is, as I said, that for the vast, vast, vast majority of people this will be done in January, February, March.
And the one thing that we dont want people to get anxious about or concerned about is Wheres my letter? in December.
He added: People really shouldnt worry if theyre over 80 and they havent had a letter”.
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Nottingham market to remain closed over social distancing
The Christmas market in Nottingham will be closed for the rest of the year after it was forced to shut amid criticism over the lack of social distancing.
Organisers said they were “sorry it has not worked out” after hundreds of people crowded into the attraction in Old Market Square on Saturday, prompting angry social media posts online.
Events firm the Mellors Group, which operates the Christmas market, said it had to temporarily close the attraction on Sunday, just one day after opening, but later announced it would be closed for the rest of the year.
In a joint statement with Nottingham City Council, Mellors Group said: “Plans were in place to control access to help manage the number of people entering the site at any one time and to continually monitor this throughout Saturday.
“However, numbers were too large to implement these effectively.”
More on the weekends high street rush below:
Hordes flood capitals West End on first weekend shopping day since lockdown ended
Vincent Wood7 December 2020 08:02
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Many wont receive jab until 2021 – health officials
People over 80 should not be worried if they are not called for the Covid-19 vaccine this month as the vast majority will have to wait until the new year to receive the jab, a health official has said.
Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said people need to “hang fire” and be assured they have not been forgotten if they have not received a letter or a phone call about the jab.
I don’t think people should expect anything over the next few days because the reality is, as I said, that for the vast, vast, vast majority of people this will be done in January, February, March, he said.
“And the one thing that we don’t want people to get anxious about or concerned about is ‘Where’s my letter?’ in December.”
He added: “People really shouldn’t worry if they’re over 80 and they haven’t had a letter.
“I’m sure there will be communications over the next few weeks that will tell people how quickly we are getting through the over-80s, and there will be plenty of communications to say, at the right point, if you haven’t had a letter then you should talk to your GP, but we are many weeks away from that.
“So as I said people just need to hang fire and wait for a proactive communication.
“If that hasn’t happened, don’t worry, we haven’t forgotten you, and we’ll certainly tell you at the point at which you need to start worrying if you haven’t been contacted, but that will be many, many weeks away.”
Vincent Wood7 December 2020 07:52
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Hospitals get first vaccine deliveries
Croydon University Hospital in south London was one of the first hospitals to take delivery of the vaccine over the weekend, with similar scenes unfolding around the country ahead of the rollout.
The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, as people need to receive two doses.
There are 800,000 doses in the first tranche, meaning 400,000 people will be vaccinated initially.
There are challenges to overcome with vaccinating care home residents despite them being at the top of the priority list, with immunisations due to roll out in about a weeks time.
Logistical issues mean there are difficulties in delivering the Pfizer jab to residents, as it needs to be stored at minus 70C before being thawed out and can only be moved up to four times within that cold chain before being used.
A pharmacy technician from Croydon Health Services takes delivery at Croydon University Hospital in Croydon of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccinations to be delivered to the area.
Vincent Wood7 December 2020 07:42
