FIGURES have expressed their joy at the “excellent” news that Dorset County Hospital will be rolling out the coronavirus vaccine in what is being described as the country’s largest vaccination programme.
As previously reported, the hospital in Dorchester was confirmed as one of the 53 NHS sites chosen by the Government to receive the vaccine as the rollout is set to begin.
The news comes following the approval of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine by the government, making the UK the first western country to approve a vaccine.
The move has paved the way for mass vaccination to start next week throughout the nation, including in Dorset.
As a hospital hub, Dorset County Hospital will vaccinate their own staff and making sure neighbouring hospitals can get the jab to their own staff. The vaccine is given in two doses – three weeks apart.
Following the vaccination of NHS staff, efforts will be focused on patients at highest priority including those aged 80 and above, along with care home residents and carers. The rest of the population will follow in the coming weeks.
Councillors in Dorchester have taken pride in the town’s hospital helping tackle the coronavirus pandemic, with some citing it as a major step towards returning to normality.
Les Fry, councillor for Dorchester West and former governor at Dorset County Hospital, was confident that the hospital could effectively rollout the vaccine to those who need it.
He said: “I think it is really good that Dorset County Hospital is taking part in rolling out this vaccine which we all welcome.
“I have been impressed by our NHS staff and frontline workers supporting us during these times and hope this vaccine is the light of the tunnel and life can get back to normal.
“As a past governor at the hospital, I have every confidence in the organisation, staff and facilities.
“They will continue to do us proud and look after our health and be there when we need it.”
He added he “will be in my position in the queue” and will be “ready” to take the vaccine when offered by the NHS.
While he welcomed the major development, he urged people not to let their standards slip and continue to follow the Government’s guidelines to prevent further pandemic measures or deaths.
Councillor Fry said: “We all have to follow the Government guidance until the vaccine has been completely rolled out and I would advise people to regulations and follow those rules, including wearing face masks, wash their hands and social distancing.
“These are difficult times but for all of us, these are very challenging times to abide with, but to protect our health, family and friends, we must continue to do that for the good of everybody.”
Councillor Richard Biggs, who represents Dorchester and Poundbury for Dorset Council, described the development as “excellent news and there is no surprise as it has great facilities”.
He said: “They are the professionals of delivering vaccines and the NHS has a good track record on rolling these on mass, including the flu vaccine.
“I recently had the flu vaccine, and it was like a military operation. I was in and out very quickly.
“I am sure they will rise to the occasion.”
He said the vaccine rollout should occur “sooner the better” and described the consequences of catching coronavirus as “quite serious”.
Councillor Biggs was keen to dispel any myths about the effectiveness of the Covid-19 vaccine, with false information circulating online.
He added: “The main thing is that people may be concerned but the vaccine has been tested, done at record speed but everyone needs to take this vaccine and it is very important.
“You cannot sit and say coronavirus will not happen to you. We need to take the vaccine so that life can return to normal.
“I will certainly take it when it’s offered to me.”
Molly Rennie, a Liberal Democrat councillor, said the announced was the news “everyone has been waiting for” and urged residents to take the vaccine.
“Next year, some things will return to normal. Even if it takes months to vaccine everyone, what good news is that for everybody?” she said.
“We have not been able to see family and friends and not been able to do anything, but this is great news.
“How great it would be to meet each other and talk to each other in person and not have to meet each other over Microsoft Teams?”
The councillor added she hopes the coronavirus vaccination programme will relieve pressure upon Dorset County Hospital and other hospitals and allow them to resume services pre-pandemic.
Shortly after the announcement, NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said: “This is an important next step in our response to the Coronavirus pandemic and hospitals will shortly kick off the first phase of the largest scale vaccination campaign in our country’s history.
“The NHS has a proven track record of delivering large scale vaccinations from the winter flu jab to BCG and, once the final hurdles are cleared and the vaccine arrives in England’s hospitals, health service staff will begin offering people this ground-breaking jab in a programme that will expand to cover the whole country in the coming months.”
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