TEESDALE’S vaccination hub at Richardson Hospital, in Barnard Castle, was in full swing again at the weekend, administering about 1,500 vaccine doses to residents.
The vaccination effort, which has been organised and co-ordinated by a network of doctors’ practices from Barnard Castle, Middleton-in-Teesdale, Gainford, Cockfield, Evenwood and Butterknowle, saw some residents receiving their second dose and others having their first jab.
Dr Robert Carter, from Barnard Castle GP surgery, said: “We have got a good system and it will get better when the system gets up to speed.
“We did close to 1,500 jabs and it was a lot of second dose and first doses. We had more vaccinations because we had some of the Oxford vaccine as well. We have now done at least 90 per cent of our over 80s.”
In December, about 975 of the most vulnerable residents received their first dose of the vaccine when the first batch was delivered. A second cohort of residents in care homes across Teesdale, as well as care home staff and frontline healthworkers, were offered the vaccine between Christmas and New Year.
Further age groups will get their vaccines when more are made available and when other areas reach the same stage as Teesdale.
Dr Carter added: “The limiting factor is the supply and demand and the need to make sure that all our over-80s get the jab and we will then move down [the list] quickly.
“There are a lot of people working hard in the whole system to get things going. At the moment we are doing two days a week, but we could go up to four days.
“We have had lots of feedback and patients have found it a safe way of having vaccines.”
Barnard Castle resident David Armstrong, who received his vaccine, said: “As one of the splendid people on duty said in response to my congratulations – it just shows what could be done.
“I think is a sensational effort. I don’t think anywhere else in England will have done better and very few will have matched it.”
