Mass vaccination programme steps up with new centres confirmed
Another six GP mass Covid vaccination centres have been announced for Devon - including at Dawlish Community Hospital - as the vaccine roll out continues and gathers pace.
Last updated 18th Dec 2020
It brings the total number to 14 in the county, with even more due to open soon to ensure everyone who is eligible can receive a vaccine.
GP practices are working in groups to set up the local vaccination centres, with the 14 centres serving 85 of the county’s surgeries.
The latest centres to open in Devon are:
⦁ • Beacon, Plympton
⦁ • Clare House, Tiverton
⦁ • Dawlish Community Hospital
⦁ • Holsworthy Medical Centre
⦁ • The Pavilions, Plymouth
⦁ • St Leonard’s Practice, Exeter
The centres in Dawlish and Plympton are due to start vaccinating on Monday (21 December) with the others beginning today (Friday) and Saturday.
Dr Rosalind Wardle, senior partner at Ruby Country Medical Group in Holsworthy, said: “We are really pleased that from Saturday we will be able to offer this life-saving vaccine to people in our local communities.
“Our teams have been working day and night to ensure we are ready to start vaccinating people as soon as our delivery of the vaccine arrives.
“We would like to thank all those who have been waiting patiently to be contacted for their invitation. 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 in due course.”
Dr Elizabeth Cowan, GP at Barton Surgery in Dawlish, added: “Being able to offer the coronavirus vaccination here in Dawlish is very exciting. Not only does it allow us to provide a much-needed service to our patients locally, but also the ability to tailor the service to meet the needs of our community.
“The Dawlish and Teignmouth GP surgeries are working very closely with the team at Dawlish Hospital to set up the service and it has been an excellent opportunity to all work together.
“Everyone has really pulled out all the stops to get things set up so quickly and we know our community are really going to benefit from all the hard work that has already gone into, and will continue to go into running the vaccination delivery programme."
Those wanting to recieve a jab are beiong advised to wait until contacted by the NHS directly.
An unofficial calculator has been released which guesses how long you will likely wait based on the nine-point priority list released by the UK government.
For official information more about the Devon roll out from the clinical commissioning group click here