Sheffield confirmed as Vaccine Hub
The NHS Trust will be part of the first wave of the roll-out.
Last updated 6th Dec 2020
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been confirmed as one of the hospital hubs for the first wave of Coronavirus vaccine roll-out.
The doses will start arriving in South Yorkshire tomorrow (Monday 7 December), with people aged 80, care home workers, and some NHS staff set to receive the jabs from Tuesday.
It's been described as the biggest immunisation programme in history.
The Health Secretary's said today, efforts are underway to vaccinate care home residents "as soon as possible", but there's no guaranteed date.
It's because of logistical issues with the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, meaning there are difficulties getting it to residents.
It has to be stored at minus 70 degrees Celsius, and can only be moved four times before being used.
Who will get the vaccine first?
Patients aged 80 and above who are already attending hospital as an outpatient, and those who are being discharged home after a hospital stay, will be among the first to receive the life-saving jab, health officials said.
Hospitals will also begin inviting over-80s in for a jab and work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics.
Any appointments not used for these groups will be used for healthcare workers who are at highest risk of serious illness from the virus.
All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.
GP-led networks will start the roll-out from 14th December, with sports venues and conference centres used for mass-vaccination centres when more doses are available.