Jabs to protect against Covid-19 to be available within a week

Wandsworth Council has published an update on how people will be vaccinated in the borough.

This week the UK became the first country in the world to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech coronavirus vaccine.

The medicines regulator, the MHRA, said the jab, which offers up to 95 per cent protection against Covid-19 illness, is safe to be rolled out.

Papers provided to Wandsworth’s Finance, Resources and Climate Sustainability Overview and Scrutiny Committee this week (3 December) showed how the vaccine is expected to be delivered.

It said it would include fixed sites in all London boroughs.

In Wandsworth, the only site so far agreed is Queen Mary’s Hospital, in Roehampton.

The paper noted that “the accessibility of this site to Wandsworth residents is limited and further sites are being explored.”

GP practices, primary care network vaccination hubs, and “roving vaccination teams” who take the vaccination to settings such as care homes, are also expected to help deliver the vaccine.

The council’s Chief Executive, Paul Martin, told the committee: “The vaccination programme is NHS-led, I think the key things the committee needs to know is we’re working very closely with the NHS locally. They work with us. Although they are leading this process, they are involving us and seeking our views, which is incredibly helpful to us and I think ultimately to residents.

“In terms of communications as the vaccine begins to be administered from next week, I think it will become clearer what the communications challenge is and we are working already in our communication teams with the NHS opposite numbers to discuss, and I hope agree, mutually reinforcing messages about priority and targeting, and, of course, reassurance, if necessary, about the safety and the efficacy of the vaccine.

Sian Bayley - Local Democracy Reporter

December 4, 2020