A MASSIVE 20,000 Covid-19 vaccine jabs have been given in Teesdale.
The landmark figure means that more than two-thirds of the dale’s adult population has had at least one vaccine shot, making it one of the most successful rollouts in the country. The 20,000th jab was delivered shortly after 11am on Friday, April 30.
The vaccination clinic at Richardson Hospital, in Barnard Castle, is led by Teesdale Primary Care Network (PCN), which includes GP surgeries from Gainford, Cockfield, Butterknowle, Evenwood, Barnard Castle and Middleton-in-Teesdale.
Dr Robert Carter, from Barnard Castle Surgery, said not only had 74 per cent of Teesdale’s adult population received a jab, which is well ahead of the national average of about 68 per cent, but the take up has been with almost all age groups well over 90 per cent.
Dr Carter added: “Anything over 80 per cent gives herd immunity. “
The PCN started to offer jabs to 40-year-olds last week, with the take-up already at 71 per cent. About 70 per cent of the jabs have been AstraZeneca and 30 per cent Pfizer, with few people worried about recent concerns over the AstraZeneca product.
Dr Carter said: “Everybody has been coming and enthusiastically coming. Everyone has been saying they want the second dose [of AstraZeneca]. They are prepared to take that tiny risk.”
Dr Carter attributed the success of the programme to “team effort of all parties”.
He paid tribute to the 22 vaccinators – including retired nurses, GPs and pharmacists – and the large admin team that includes students studying from home for their efforts in making the rollout a success.
Dr Carter added: “The GP practices have been really proactive in chasing people.”
He recalled giving some of the first injections late last year and the reactions of people, many of who had not been out of their homes for months.
He said: “It was quite emotional when you realised you are starting this process to get people back to a more normal life.”
He paid tribute to the district nurses who travelled as far as Harwood to deliver jabs to 350 frail dale residents who have been unable to leave their homes.
Head of the district’s nursing team Sandra Smyth said: “People have been really grateful and positive. We have had tears from patients who have not been able to go anywhere. It has been really emotional.”
Practice manager at Barnard Castle Surgery Margaret Talbot-Brown, who has been managing the PCN system, said: “It has been a lot of hard work and a massive team effort.”
She said the county’s clinical commissioning group (CCG) had been instrumental in ensuring the success of the effort. She added: “The CCG is the group that sources the vaccine and have got it when we need it.
“They have worked day and night to get the vaccines.”
The CCG also ensures supplies personal protective equipment (PPE) and other essentials.
Head of the CCG, and vaccine director for the entire North East, Dr Stewart Findlay, attended the small celebratory event at Richardson Hospital to mark the 20,000 milestone last week.
He said the success of the Teesdale scheme was due to all of the GPs in the dale working together over many years and knowing each other well.
He added: “It is those relationships that have allowed them to come together. It shows that really small practices can come together and do this really quickly.
“It is a bit like Dunkirk the way people have come together. [This scheme] is absolutely the best in County Durham and it is certainly one of the best in the country.”
The dale was among the first in the country to have delivered jabs to every care home resident in the area.
The final care home jabs were given on New Year’s Eve, Dr Carter said.
