James Wild MP welcomes vaccination progress and new site in West Norfolk

A new local vaccination site will open at Snettisham Surgery next week as the rollout of the vaccination programme continues.

James was briefed on the rollout plans by Melanie Craig, Chief Officer, NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group this morning along with other MPs.

Almost 40%  of all people over the age of 80 living in Norfolk and Waveney have received their first vaccination against COVID-19. That represents 25,500 out of a population of 65,000 over 80s that have had the life-saving vaccination.

It comes as the number of people vaccinated in the area approaches 30,000. 

The NHS is driving forward the vaccination of the rest of the over 80s and other most at risk groups still to be vaccinated with the new AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine alongside the Pfizer jab.

With the new site at Snettisham and others in addition to the existing sites, there will be 21 local vaccination sites in Norfolk and Waveney, in addition to the QEH, James Paget University Hospital, and Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital sites. 

These new sites will be:

• Snettisham Surgery
• Drayton Medical Practice
• Sheringham Medical Practice
• The Market Surgery, Aylsham
• Sole Bay Health Centre, Southwold  
• Manor Farm Medical Centre, Swaffham  
• Poringland Community Centre, South Norfolk
• Gurney Surgery, Norwich
• Hoveton Village Hall, North Norfolk  
• Rossis Leisure, North Walsham

James said: "I welcome this additional site in Snettisham which will help boost the rollout of the vaccine to vulnerable groups in West Norfolk. It has been a massive effort so far by the NHS and everyone involved in the sites at St James', QEH, and Terrington to give jabs to thousands of people. QEH is under considerable pressure and as the vaccine rollout continues the best thing we can all do is follow the rules - stay home, protect the NHS and save lives."

Patients are being invited to be vaccinated and vaccination is by appointment only. Please do not ask your GP practice or hospital when you will receive the vaccine. Please wait for your invite.

There will be also be scale vaccination sites coming online, including in West Norfolk ,in the coming weeks. Details of specific sites will be announced nearer the sites opening.

Dr Anoop Dhesi, Chair of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group(CCG,) which is co-ordinating the roll-out of the vaccination programme, said:

“We’ve made a great start beginning to protect the most vulnerable people. That’s testament to the immense effort made by doctors, nurses and administrators in General Practice, staff in our hospitals and in the clinical commissioning group. But truly this is going to be a marathon not a sprint.

“More GP-led sites are about to open, and these will be followed by more large vaccination centres to drive up the numbers we can vaccinate every day into the many thousands, with a spread of sites reaching into every corner of Norfolk and Waveney.”

The NHS has worked with district and county councils across Norfolk and Waveney, along with voluntary groups, private businesses and the police, to set-up and run the vaccination sites. James has passed on offers from hospitality and other venues to act as vaccination sites and the NHS would like to thank everyone who has offered sites but at this stage no further sites are currently needed.

The licencing of the “fridge-friendly” AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine which can be stored at normal fridge temperatures will make delivering the vaccine easier. The Pfizer jab which has been licenced since early December must be stored at -70 degree centigrade.

This has hampered efforts to vaccinate residents of care homes – although the residents of a handful of care in Norfolk and Waveney have already been vaccinated as part of a pilot scheme.

The AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine will allow a step-change in the NHS' ability to take vaccine into care homes. 

QEH and hospitals in Norfolk and Waveney are under immense pressure with more COVID-19 positive patients in beds that at any point since the outbreak of the diseases last year. Until the vaccine has reached most of the vulnerable groups our best protection for ourselves, family, community and the NHS, is to wear a face covering, keep our distance and regularly wash our hands.

ENDS

Notes to Editors

• You’ll find more information about the vaccination programme in this briefing here.

• A COVID-19 myth buster is available here.
• The NHS is delivering the largest vaccination programme in its history.
• Patients are being invited to be vaccinated and vaccination is by appointment only. Please do not ask your GP practice or hospital when you will receive the vaccine. Please wait for your invite.
• To gain full protection people will need two vaccinations.
• People are being vaccinated according to how at risk they are from COVID-19.
• The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation advises that the first priorities for the COVID-19 vaccination programme should be the prevention of mortality and the maintenance of the health and social care systems. As the risk of mortality from COVID-19 increases with age, prioritisation is primarily based on age.

Priority groups:

1. residents in a care home for older adults and their carers
2. all those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers
3. all those 75 years of age and over
4. all those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals
5. all those 65 years of age and over
6. all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality
7. all those 60 years of age and over
8. all those 55 years of age and over
9. all those 50 years of age and over