Coronavirus vaccinations are now well underway at the Coleridge Medical Centre in Ottery St Mary with more than 2,500 patients having received the jab from the nearly 17,000 people registered.
As of this week, Ottery’s rollout of the Covid-19 inoculation has seen 1,180 people aged 80 and over being vaccinated with a further 351 aged 75-79 also receiving their injection. The staff have been regularly supporting the local Primary Care Network vaccination site at Exmouth tennis centre and have now started to provide vaccinations from the practice itself in Ottery.
Dr Simon Kerr from the practice, said: “All our care home residents whom it has been possible to vaccinate have received their first doses, as have as many of their staff as have been able to attend too. We are working up plans to vaccinate our many housebound patients working with our community nursing staff and will shortly be looking at providing first vaccines for our registered critically extremely vulnerable, many of whom have been shielding since March 2020.
“All the clinical and non-clinical staff who work at the medical centre have been vaccinated and many are working all hours to engage patients with further bookings, either via telephone calls and/or now text messages allowing those receiving them to book directly if they are able to do so. We would still like to reassure all of our patients that we shall contact you and that you do not need to contact us. Guidance will be provided about what to expect and where to attend both via the booking services we provide and when attending for the vaccines."
The first vaccinations direct from Coleridge Medical Centre itself took place on Sunday, January 24 with 511 registered patients vaccinated.
Dr Kerr added: “We were most grateful for the help of a number of local volunteers who assisted with the marshalling through the medical centre on what was in fact a very cold and icy day. A lot has been learned this year through a much more extensive flu vaccination programme which we ran prior and now alongside the coronavirus programme. The delivery of vaccines through six clinical rooms as patients walk through the building seems to work safely and efficiently for staff and patients alike. We have had some very supportive feedback for which we are very grateful and all such comments are of a great boost to the morale of our staff who are only too well aware of the size of the task ahead of them.
“We continue to work with our partner practices in Honiton, Sidmouth, Woodbury, Exmouth and Budleigh and are providing both Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines through the tennis centre and the Oxford Astra Zeneca vaccine through the medical centre when we receive suitably large supplies. Second doses will be arranged as per government guidance approximately 12 weeks post the first dose and our staff will again be in contact with patients at their appropriate time.
“We shall shortly be providing much more information and updates through our practice website and will be looking over future weeks for potential vaccinators who may either be already qualified or be able to be supported to become qualified through the contacts we may be able to make for those individuals.”
For the latest vaccination updates from the practice visit https://www.coleridgemedicalcentre.co.uk/coleridge-medical-centre-covid-19-vaccination-programme
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