Elland Road Vaccination Centre opens to the public in Leeds
It's taken three weeks to set up
Last updated 8th Feb 2021
The Leeds and West Yorkshire Covid-19 vaccination programme will be bolstered on Monday (8 February) by the opening of a new large vaccination centre at Leeds United’s Elland Road football stadium.
The Elland Road centre is one of 23 vaccination centres in Leeds, and will work alongside services provided by community pharmacists, NHS trusts and 19 GP practice networks (PCNs), which have already administered tens of thousands of vaccines to people at the greatest risk from Covid-19.
In just three weeks, the Centenary Pavilion, well-known by Leeds United fans, has been transformed into a safe, modern facility capable of navigating the local population through their vaccination journey in less than 30 minutes.
The centre opens officially on Monday for people in the first priority cohorts who have received an invitation from the national booking system. The site has been operating as a hospital hub for the past two weeks to support the vaccination of frontline health and care workers as part of the JCVI recommended priority groups*.
Leeds Ladies FC defender Olivia (Liv) Smart will kick off the new service by vaccinating the first patient. Liv is an advanced practitioner in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ transplant team and has already been vaccinating her colleagues and other health professionals around the city.
Liv says: “I've been involved in the vaccination service since December on a voluntary basis, with the majority of my time working as a vaccinator.
“After 12 months of struggle, this is the light at the end of the tunnel. It truly is fantastic that such hard work and commitment has managed to develop a vaccine in such a short time. Be sure to get vaccinated!”
Dr Phil Wood, Chief Medical Officer for Leeds Teaching Hospitals said; “We’re delighted to open Elland Road to the first priority groups of the general public. The centre will complement the excellent services being provided in local communities by GP practices and help us reach everyone in the first priority groups by mid-February. We want to make it as easy as possible for people to get their vaccine and these centres offer another option for people to choose from.”
Transforming the Pavilion into a vaccination hub has been a truly collaborative partnership across Leeds, involving support from Leeds City Council, IT specialists, security teams and the Leeds United Football Club.