The city’s first community covid vaccinations have been administered at a Brighton community centre today.
Last week, patients and staff at the Royal Sussex County Hospital were among the first in the world to be given an approved covid vaccine.
Today, another vaccination centre has opened at St Augustine’s Community Centre in Stanford Avenue, near Preston Park.
The first to be invited to receive a vaccination will be over-80s, as well as workers and residents of care homes.
Those eligible are being urged not to contact their GPs and just wait for an invitation, over fears switchboards could be inundated.
St Augustine’s is one of eight centres to open across Sussex, with more set to open in the coming weeks.
Allison Cannon, Chief Nursing Officer at Sussex Commissioners, said: “Today marks a significant day in Sussex as we go live with our first GP led services in the greatest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS.
“It has been incredible to see the efforts of GP practices and teams across Sussex coming together to work collectively to prepare for today and I am proud of everyone who is involved.
“Just as with our hospital colleagues last week, GPs and their teams have been planning for this alongside providing day to day care for their patients and delivering the flu campaign, which demonstrates just how important this is.
“These sites are only the first GP led vaccination services for our area and we will see many more going live over the coming days and weeks to reach across our entire population and ensure the most vulnerable are protected against COVID-19.
“We won’t be vaccinating everyone all at once – it will be a relatively small number at first – but this is a phased roll out to reach everyone, and I would urge everyone who is contacted to attend your appointment and receive this important protection.”
Each vaccination service is being supported by one or several GP practices, with their teams working collectively to vaccinate patients at these sites.
Staff from Preston Park Surgery, Stanford Medical Centre, The Haven Practice and Warmdene Surgery will work alongside nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other NHS staff.
The NHS’s key message for the public
- Please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine, we will contact you;
- When we do contact you, please attend your booked appointments; and
- Please continue to follow all the guidance to control the virus and save lives.
For straightforward steps to keep yourself and others safe and get help if you need it, visit www.keepsussexsafe.uk
There’s no parking at the covid vaccination centre St Augustine’s. The parking on nearby streets is for permit holders only. How useless! Do we just drop 90 year olds outside to fend for themselves, or are you expecting them to travel by bus or taxi and risk catching Covid19 while trying to get vaccinated?
There are parking meters on nearby streets (Springfield Rd, Florence Rd) and a small car park at the back of the centre, £1 for a short stay. Hope thathelps.