Kettering drive-thru Covid vaccine hub up and running

Some of the north of the county's most vulnerable residents have started receiving the first dose of their Covid-19 vaccination in Kettering.

The vaccine hub has been set up in the car park at the back of Prospect House in Lower Street, Kettering, with a one-way system and car waiting area.

Previously the only place in Northamptonshire where people were receiving the Pfizer jab was at Northampton General Hospital - one of 50 hospitals confirmed as a vaccine site on December 6.

Vaccinations were taking place this morning with a steady flow of appointment-only patients mostly arriving by car but some walk-in clients.

The car park, used by patients at both Weavers Medical Centre and Eskdaill Medical Centre, has been transformed into a vaccination site.

On entering the car park, drivers have been directed to follow the one-way system into an area covered by a large temporary marquee structure where trained staff inject the vaccine to the patients.

The clients are then asked to drive into a parking bay for a time to be monitored by socially-distanced staff.

The disabled bays will remain available to park in for GP surgery patients and people have been urged not to phone their practice about vaccinations as they will be contacted when they are eligible.

The Government's joint committee on vaccination and immunisation previously confirmed its priority list for the first phase of the UK's mass vaccine rollout.

Care home residents and their carers are at the front of the queue, followed by those aged 80 and over as well as frontline health and social care workers.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director for NHS England, said: “The vaccination programme is a turning point for the country, and rightly NHS staff are prioritising those most at risk of the virus with the programme expanding over the coming months.

"So when the time comes for you to get your jab, the NHS will let you know and I strongly encourage you to accept the invite.”

The life-saving vaccine is given to patients in a simple shoulder injection, but getting it to patients from the manufacturers is a tough logistical challenge.

It needs to be stored at -70C before it's thawed and can only be moved a certain number of times ahead of it being used.

The Pfizer jab was found to be 95 per cent effective in mass trials.

People need to have two jabs, 21 days apart. Full immunity starts seven days after the second dose.