The roll out of the Covid vaccine is continuing well with a total of 4,784 patients having successfully received the first dose of their jab at Wareham Hospital hub.
Across Dorset, according to figures up to Sunday 24th January 2021, 83.7 percent of over 80s in the county have received their first dose, with a total of 110,737 doses of the vaccine having been administered.
“Ready to go again from Tuesday!”
Purbeck Primary Care Network, who is organising the vaccination hub at Wareham Hospital for the whole of Purbeck, posted on its Facebook page on Friday 29th January 2021:
“We have vaccinated a total of 4,784 patients as of the end of the clinic yesterday. Another friendly request to please not call your surgery, as they are working very hard to book these appointments alongside their usual work.
“Thank you to everyone involved and for your patience whilst we continue in this unprecedented programme. Ready to go again from Tuesday!”
The success has been helped by the tireless hard work of everyone working locally to deliver the programme from vaccinators to volunteers. A small army of enthusiastic volunteers at Wareham Hospital have been organising car parking, guiding patients and providing refreshments.
While the county’s vaccine programme is rolled out – with all top four most vulnerable groups expected to receive their first jab by mid-February – residents are being reminded to continue to keep to the guidelines. This includes maintaining social distancing, wearing a mask and washing hands regularly.
Vaccine programme “good news”
Clinical lead for the Dorset Covid-19 vaccination programme, Dr Karen Kirkham said:
“The coronavirus vaccine is safe and effective. It gives you the best protection against coronavirus that we have, but we must still keep protecting each other.
“It’s good news that we have made a strong start to the vaccination programme in Dorset, but for now, whether you have been vaccinated or not, we cannot afford to be complacent. Everyone still needs to keep to the lockdown rules and guidance.
“The first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine should give you good protection from coronavirus. Please remember that protection takes up to three weeks to kick in and so there is a chance you might still get or spread coronavirus even if you have had the vaccine.
“This means it is important to continue to follow social distancing guidance, and always wear something that covers your nose and mouth in places where it’s hard to stay away from other people.”
“We cannot afford to let our guard down”
Director of Public Health Dorset, Sam Crowe added:
“Whilst the vaccine gives us all some hope for the future, it’s important to remember we are still in the middle of a lockdown. This means that everyone – whether you’ve had the vaccine or not – needs to stay at home and only go out if it’s essential.
“After a few weeks, the vaccine offers protection against serious illness but scientists don’t yet know the impact it has on transmission. You may still be able to pass the virus on to others, and we cannot afford to let our guard down now whilst our hospitals and care homes are still under great pressure.
“Thank you to everyone who has played their part in following the rules and staying at home so far. We need to keep bringing our case rates down, so please don’t take risks by putting yourself in scenarios where you could catch or spread coronavirus.”
About vaccinations
The top priority people for vaccinations include care home residents and staff, frontline healthcare workers, the clinically vulnerable and everyone aged 70 and over.
The order of vaccine priority is decided based on advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation.
Further information
To find out more about the vaccine rollout in Dorset, visit the Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group’s website.
