THE MILITARY and NHS yesterday carried out a trial run at one of the UK’s mass vaccination hubs before the coronavirus vaccine is rolled out next week.
Code-named Exercise Panacea, the drill was held at Ashton Gate football and rugby stadium in Bristol.
A military worker at Ashton Gate stadium which is preparing to hold mass vaccines of the Covid jab
A medical worker at Ashton Gate stadium on the day of a trial run for the Covid jab
A woman in a mask speaks to workers at Ashton Gate stadium
Members of the Armed Forces at Ashton Gate
An Army official in a mask leaves the stadium
Ashton Gate stadium in Bristol
Members of the armed forces could be next in line for the new Covid vaccine after the nation’s most vulnerable have been inoculated
Ashton Gate is one of seven regional mass testing hubs where tens of thousands of people will be vaccinated, the Daily Mail reports.
These hubs will reportedly be used to vaccinate the wider population, while GP practices target NHS and care home staff and some patients.
According to the newspaper, 20 to 30 staff and volunteers looped through the building acting as different patients.
They are reported to have trialled scenarios including a patient suffering an adverse reaction before vaccinations are delivered at the stadium for up to 12 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Nightingale hospital in London is also being prepared as a hub as well as Leicester Racecourse and Manchester Tennis and Football centre.
It comes after it was reported that FIFTY NHS hospitals are standing by to roll out the vaccine next week – as Britain becomes the first country to get the jab.
A total of 53 NHS trusts in England, some which cover a number of hospitals, are equipped with super-cold freezers that can store the jabs.
They will act as “hubs” which will offer the jabs to people in their area in order of priority, as well as co-ordinating distribution.
The Midlands has the most hospital hubs that will receive the vaccine, at 13. Countess of Chester Hospital, Northampton General Hospital and Walsall Healthcare are among those.
Eight hospitals in the North West are preparing to dish out the vaccine, one being Liverpool Royal Hospital.
Eight hospitals are in each of the South East and South West, and seven each in the East of England and London.
One hospital is in the Yorkshire region – United Lincolnshire Hospitals – and one is in the North East – The Newcastle Upon Type Hospitals.
And teacher, bus drivers and members of the Armed Forces could be next in line for the Covid jab after the nation’s most vulnerable have been vaccinated.
Scientists advising the Government yesterday published their prioritisation list for the new Pfizer-BionTech vaccine – with people over 80, NHS workers and care home staff at the front of the queue.
Millions of Brits are expected to receive the Pfizer jab in time for Christmas after it was approved by regulators yesterday.
The first phase of the vaccination program will see everyone over the age of 50, along with NHS and care staff and those with underlying health conditions inoculated – the groups that have made up 99 per cent of Covid deaths so far.
Care home workers are at the top of the list, followed by the over-80s, NHS and care staff, and other elderly people.
And when that programme is well under way – which could be as soon as January – under-50s will be the next in line to get the jab.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which drew up the recommendations, has also advised the Government to prioritise people by their jobs in the next phase.
It said those most exposed to the bug at work should be given the jab after the vulnerable groups, outlining: “This could include first responders, the military, those involved in the justice system, teachers, transport workers and public servants essential to the pandemic response.”
According to the report, care home residents had been “disproportionately affected” by Covid-19 and “should be the highest priority for vaccination”.
And there were fears that elderly care home residents may miss out on the first batch despite being the most at risk.
Health chiefs admit restrictions around the vaccine have created a “logistical nightmare”.
It must be transported at -70C, moved only four times and given from a tray of 975 vials that cannot be split.
The typical care home has just a few dozen residents, meaning hundreds of vials costing around £15 each would be wasted.
But there are high hopes the Oxford jab, which is easier to transport, will be approved within weeks, and care homes will get it first.
The JCVI committee defended the decision not to prioritise the Pfizer-BionTech vaccine for ethnic minorities, but said its list included conditions such as asthma and diabetes, which disproportionately affect ethnic minorities.
It means the most vulnerable members in these communities would be protected.
The JCVI advice also said only very specific high-risk children should be offered the vaccine, as it is authorised only for over-16s.
It comes as Boris Johnson hailed the “fantastic” vaccine approval yesterday, but warned it was not “game over” as he urged people to stick to anti-virus rules.
Mr Johnson told a No10 press conference: “We have been waiting and hoping for the day when the searchlights of science would pick out our invisible enemy, and give us the power to stop that enemy from making us ill. And now the scientists have done it.
“And they have used the virus to perform a kind of biological jiu-jitsu, to turn the virus on itself in the form of a vaccine.”
Britain became the first country in the world to get one thanks to Brexit — after breaking with Brussels to rubber-stamp it in record time.
And Deputy chief medical officer Jonathan Van-Tam even admitted he got “emotional” when told the MHRA UK regulator approved the Pfizer-BioNTech jab.
He said: “What a momentous journey and international effort it has been. Discovery by two scientists who originally lived in Turkey, development by a German biotech company with the involvement of a massive US pharmaceutical giant and the involvement in our own UK MHRA to bring home the goods.”
Lorries carrying the first doses from Belgium are on their way, with 800,000 vials arriving in the “coming days”.
Britain has ordered 40 million doses of the vaccine, which works 95 per cent of the time.
People need two jabs to be fully protected, and millions will be inoculated in the next few weeks, with most of the rollout early next year.
The military will turbocharge delivery as part of the biggest domestic deployment of troops in UK history.
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