Blackpool Victoria Hospital’s Vaccination Hub reaches 40,000 milestone

The vaccination hub at Blackpool Victoria Hospital has achieved a significant milestone this week after administering its 40,000th Covid-19 vaccine dose.

Emily Wheeler, 18, from Anchorsholme received the landmark vaccination on Monday 23 August, and received a present of treats provided by the hospital charity Blue Skies, Costa and Marks and Spencer.

Reaching 40,000 doses is another impressive total achieved by the Trust’s dedicated vaccine centre which administered its very first dose on 9 December, 2020.  Since then, the team has been working tirelessly to get as many people vaccinated as possible and now the Trust is preparing for the next phase of the vaccination programme.

Speaking about her landmark vaccination, Emily said: “It happened very quickly. I got a letter inviting me for the vaccination, booked in straight away and I am here just over a week later. It is a very quick process.

“I wanted to get vaccinated, it’s not just about protecting myself but also keeping my friends and family safe. Hopefully it can give me some freedom to do things, like going away on holiday.

“I never had any second thoughts about getting vaccinated. I wanted to get it as soon as I could and I would encourage anyone else my age to do the same.”

Robert Ward, Clinical Supervisor, who came out of retirement to work at Blackpool Victoria’s Vaccination Centre, administered the 40,000th dose.

He said: “This is another big milestone for the team at Blackpool Victoria. We are now offering the vaccination to people aged 16 and over and we encourage everyone who is eligible to make an appointment if they haven’t done so already, particularly those under the age of 30 and anyone who is pregnant.”

The latest national COVID-19 vaccine surveillance report updated on 19 August, estimates the programme has averted almost 24 million infections and close to 100,000 deaths to date in England, demonstrating how important the vaccine has been in the first against the Covid virus.

“It is essential that all sections of the community receive the Covid-19 vaccine to reduce serious illness and help protect each other,” said Wendy Canning, Vaccination Unit Operational Lead.

“Getting vaccinated against Covid-19 is the most effective way of preventing infection. Vaccination is one of our most important tools to help reduce the spread of the virus.

“We have a wonderful team of professional and experienced staff in the unit, each of whom spend time with the patients offering advice, guidance and reassurance.

“We’ve had some lovely feedback from patients with comments such as: ‘Staff were wonderful and friendly.  Service was fast and efficient, an overall fantastic experience getting my first vaccine’ and ‘I was nervous about having the vaccine, but the lady who did it was fabulous and helped calm me down.’”

As of Tuesday 22 August a total of 89,070,370 people have been vaccinated in the UK, including 47,573,794 people with a first dose (87.5%) and 41,496,576 with a second (76.3%).

You can book or manage your vaccine appointments online at www.nhs.uk or by calling 119.

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