Roll Out of Covid-19 Vaccine across the district to begin on the 11th January
Updated 24/12/20 @08:45
The Covid-19 Vaccine program has begun in the Folkestone & Hythe District.
Oaklands Surgery in Hythe began the role out last week to patients in Hythe & Hawkinge. These patients have received the Pzifer BioNTech vaccine. Oaklands has been providing vaccinations for
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Sun Lane Surgery,
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White House Surgery,
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Oaklands Health Centre,
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Hawkinge and Elham Surgery,
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The Folkestone Surgery,
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Folkestone Health Centre,
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New Lyminge Surgery.
Broadly, vaccines are being given to the most vulnerable first, as set out in a list of nine high-priority groups, covering about a quarter of the UK population.
One of the nine groups are those over 80. In our district as of 1st Dec 2020, there were 7,689 patients over 80 registered at GPs in the district.
Folkestone GP Surgeries overseen by Channel Health Alliance will start Covid vaccinations on the 11th January 2021. The surgeries to be used are:
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The New Surgery,
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Guildhall Street Surgery,
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Sandgate Road Surgery
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Manor Clinic.
These surgeries will more likely than not, end up using the Civic Centre according to well placed sources. Given that, we do not expect it to be up and running on the 11 Jan 2021, as this is the Council we are talking about.
This no doubt will be disappointing for some who will have to wait 3 weeks, while vaccinations have started at the Oaklands Health Care Centre in Hythe last week.
These doctor’s surgeries do not offer a drop-in vaccination service. All vaccinations will be arranged in advance through invitation/letter based on the nine national priority groups. If you fall into one of these groups we urge you to wait to be contacted for when you can get the vaccine.
Locations and provision for the Romney Marsh area are still being sought and are expected to be announced soon.
As we understand there are plans to set up mass vaccination sites across the County, each offering up to 3,000 vaccinations a day, and we’ll announce the sites when the locations are confirmed.
GP Surgeries will be paid £12.58 each time they or a practice nurse administers one of the two doses every recipient will be expected to have.
It is more likely than not the Oxford/Astra Zeneca vaccine (if it gains approval just after Christmas) will be used, as it does not need to be stored at minus 70º centigrade.
We know GPs will open at least 1,260 mass vaccination centres across England, 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
Where the vaccination locations in the districts will be located is now known, but have not been revealed yet, but it’ll have to be a place where people can recover somewhere for 15 minutes.
The vaccine is our best chance of ending lockdowns, protecting the NHS and care homes, reopening society and boosting employment and the economy.
During this pandemic some people had a decent death at home, surrounded by the love of their family, rather than saying goodbye in a mask and visor at two metres or via an iPad. The Vaccine could end all of this madness too. We’ll be having ours when we get called to the front of the queue. Merry Christmas
The Shepway Vox Team
Merry Christmas
Thanks for the information ‘re Folkestone vaccination as we don’t seem to have been included into Hythe. We live in Hythe but our GP practice is in Folkestone. I thought we might have been called already as my husband is 90!
And we don’t seem to have a Covid Vaccination Centre on the entire Romney Marsh…
As the DPC put it at their January 2021 meeting “It’s a post code lottery”.
Another example of great local journalism. Thanks for this wonderful news. Good luck to the NHS for rolling out the largest vaccination programme in its entire 70 year history.
Why is Sandgate left till last? Is it bad management again as usual! The doctors there seem not wanting to know. There getting paid 12.50 per injection, bad play again
we are still not informed of any time when sandgate surgery will start vacinations it is now the 13jan when asked thay no nothing as usual though were told starting on 11 jan bad managment again