Frontline staff to receive COVID-19 vaccine at Torbay Hospital from today
Torbay Hospital is one of the latest hospital hubs to offer the vaccine, from today, having received its first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine this morning. Trained vaccinators are offering the vaccine to frontline staff and healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from COVID-19, in line with priorities set by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. The vaccine will then be rolled out to all health and care staff.
Among those receiving a vaccination today was Trust Medical Director, Ian Currie, who said: “As Medical Director, I visit most of our wards, so I was really pleased to be able to have the vaccine today. It means I can help keep our staff and patients safe during the ongoing pandemic, as well as protecting my family and myself. The past year has been so hard for us all, now hopefully we can look forward to better times ahead.”
Michelle Bell, Mass Vaccination Lead at Torbay and South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted that the vaccine has arrived and we can take our part in helping to protect local people from the awful impact of COVID-19. We have a specialist team working from a dedicated hub on site and have already started vaccinating some of the most vulnerable members of our staff and local community.”
“I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in planning for getting our vaccination hub up and running today. I would also like to thank all those people who are waiting patiently to be contacted for their invitation for a vaccine – either from us or from their GPs. Please don’t worry if you haven’t heard from us yet. We are working through our patient lists in priority order, as set out in the national guidance, and will make contact with everyone who is eligible, just as soon as we can.”
16 vaccination centres, serving patients from over 100 GP practices, are also up and running across Devon – including at Dawlish Community Hospital and the Riviera Centre in Torquay. Local people are asked not to contact their practice or hospital to ask about an appointment – the NHS will contact you when it’s your turn.
