Graham Stuart MP welcomes Covid-19 vaccine hub in his constituency

The MP for Beverley and Holderness, Graham Stuart, has welcomed that Holderness Health in his constituency is one of the first GP practices to offer the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination against Covid-19 to their most vulnerable patients.

The UK became the first country in the world to approve the vaccine on 2nd December, when the independent Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency gave it the go-ahead. The NHS is now in the process of delivering the largest programme of immunisation in the country’s history, and subsequently announced that Castle Hill Hospital would act as a vaccine hub to protect the most vulnerable patients and healthcare staff in the region.

Now, GP practices are being added to the list of sites approved to administer the vaccine, despite health bosses having to contend with the practicalities of storing and transporting the vaccine, which must be stored between -80°C and -60°C and given to patients within six hours of being thawed.

As a result, Holderness Health has been chosen as one of four local Covid-19 vaccination centres in Hull and the East Riding, with more practices joining on a phased basis over the course of the coming months. The first GP-led vaccinations were carried out at Holderness Health yesterday afternoon (14th December).

Patients over the age of 80 with the greatest clinical risk are being offered appointments first, with priority groups determined by the Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation. Eventually, mass vaccinations will be offered in sports venues and conference centres once further vaccine supplies become available.

Graham commented, “This is fantastic news for vulnerable constituents in Beverley and Holderness, who will be among the first to be offered this vaccination by their family GPs.

“I know Holderness Health have plenty of experience in delivering safe and effective vaccination programmes, as they do every year with the flu jab, so I have every confidence that they will rise to the challenge despite its scale and complexity.

“The public can really help with this by not contacting the surgery to ask for a jab, because eligible people will be proactively contacted by phone, letter, or the national booking system.”

For it to be effective, people are required to have two doses of the vaccine 3 weeks apart and the NHS is urging people to ensure that they book their jabs when contacted and are emphasising the importance of attending both appointments: Dr Craig Dobson, medical advisor to the East Riding CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) said, “The vaccine has been shown to be effective and it is fantastic news that in our local area we can start to vaccinate our more vulnerable residents, who need it most.

“If you are in one of the priority groups, I would urge that when your GP Practice contacts you, please make sure you book and attend your appointments when you arrange them.”

Photo : Holderness resident Peter Ainscough receiving the Covid-19 vaccine at Castle Hill Hospital. (Credit: NHS East Riding of Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group)