Coronavirus vaccine: How soon will it be rolled out in Nottinghamshire and who will get it first?

This morning Nottinghamshire residents woke up to the hopeful news that the UK has become the first country in the world to approve mass use of a Covid-19 vaccine- but how soon will it be rolled out across the county?
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800,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine are already on the way to the UK after being approved by Britain’s medicines regulator, the MHRA.

It is likely that NHS patients and staff are likely to get the vaccine first as storage of the jab at freezing temperatures is easiest in hospitals- this includes some care home staff too.

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The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has advised that people are given the vaccine in the following order:

laboratory technician holding a dose of a COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine candidate (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)laboratory technician holding a dose of a COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine candidate (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)
laboratory technician holding a dose of a COVID-19 novel coronavirus vaccine candidate (Photo by Mladen ANTONOV / AFP) (Photo by MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP via Getty Images)

residents in a care home for older adults, and their carerseveryone aged 80 and over, and frontline health and social care workerseveryone aged 75 and overeveryone aged 70 and over, and those who are clinically extremely vulnerableeveryone aged 65 and overpeople aged 16 to 64 with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and death from Covid-19everyone aged 60 and overeveryone aged 55 and overeveryone aged 50 and over

These groups cover 90-99 per cent of those at risk of dying from coronavirus, say the JCVI.

Last week Dr Andy Haynes, medical director for the Integrated Care System (ICS) in Nottinghamshire, told a Public Health briefing that up to 80,000 vaccinations could be administered in Nottinghamshire every week in January.

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"We know that the vaccines are going through the regulatory process and we are well placed in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire now to start administering the vaccine whichever one it is and once it becomes available,” he told the briefing.

Nottinghamshire's Director of Public Health Jonathan Gribbin.Nottinghamshire's Director of Public Health Jonathan Gribbin.
Nottinghamshire's Director of Public Health Jonathan Gribbin.

"That's a really massive, important system effort, that's involved all partners in health, social care and our local authorities.

"To give some scale of that, our flu programme this year is further ahead at this point than it was the whole of last winter, so we're doing really well with flu vaccines.

"We're administering about 20 to 25,000 flu vaccines a week at the moment - our GP colleagues have done a fantastic job.

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"But in January with the Covid vaccine programme, we expect to be administering 80,000 vaccines a week, so the logistics of this are significant and that does require that whole system response for us to get there."

Jonathan Gribbin, Director of Public Health for Nottinghamshire, said: “I welcome this fantastic news that the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine has been approved for widespread use in the UK.

"The NHS is leading on the rollout of the vaccine, but we are working with the NHS and other partners on extensive plans so we are ready to deliver the vaccinations as soon as possible.

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“In the meantime, it remains absolutely essential that everyone continues to stick to the hands, face, space guidance.

"Thank you to everyone in Nottinghamshire who has worked so hard to stick to the rules during lockdown and who will continue to do so now we are a Tier 3 area.

"By working together, we can help to keep the virus under control.”

In these confusing and worrying times, local journalism is more vital than ever. Thanks to everyone who helps us ask the questions that matter by taking out a subscription or buying a paper. We stand together. Nancy Fielder, editor.