Local practices to begin administering the vaccine within days.
Bridlington residents who are the most at risk and vulnerable are to start being offered the COVID vaccination from this week. The Bridlington Primary Care Network (PCN), which includes all six of Bridlington’s GP practices, will start to administer the vaccine over the coming days.
Because of the storage and transportation requirements of the vaccination, the practices must administer them all from one designated location. Patients over the age of 80 with the greatest clinical risk are being offered appointments first.
Bridlington Primary Care Network (PCN) includes all six Bridlington GP practices: Field House Surgery, Manor House Surgery, Station Avenue – Practice One, Practice Two, Practice Three and Wolds View Surgery. PCNs are a key part of the NHS Long Term Plan, with general practices being a part of a network, typically covering 30,000-50,000 patients. The networks will provide the structure and funding for services to be developed locally, in response to the needs of the patients they serve.
Graham Wood, Bridlington PCN Manager said, “We are delighted to have been given the opportunity to start offering this vaccine to our most vulnerable patients here in Bridlington. I am looking forward to seeing the smile on the face of our oldest resident (103) when she attends for her vaccination”.
“We would like to reassure our patients, across all six practices, that we will be contacting you all to offer you this vaccine. This is being done according to clinical priority, starting with our most vulnerable patients. In time, we will be extending this to our other at risk patients, but please be patient and wait for us to contact you as we have dedicated staff allocated to doing this.
“We would like to thank all of our staff, who have worked tirelessly throughout this pandemic, and have stepped up to this new task of delivering the coronavirus vaccine without hesitation.”
The order in which patients are prioritised for the vaccinations has been determined by the Joint Committee of Vaccinations and Immunisation (JCVI) as they are at the greatest risk from COVID-19.
People are required to have two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, 12 weeks apart and may not be protected until at least seven days after their second dose of the vaccine. When booking a patient’s first appointment the practice will also book their second appointment and it’s important that people attend their second appointment.
As we know, all vaccines can have adverse reactions and the Covid vaccine will be no exception. As yet we have been given little information about any adverse reactions. As a former nurse now retired, we know that people are more willing to accept vaccinations if they are given a list of possible side effects in advance. Sadly some will refuse the vaccine through lack of knowledge and the conspiracy theories posted regarding the dangers. It is true that a small number will have severe adverse reactions, but when one considers the dangers of contracting Covid this will be a risk worth taking. I say this as a person who has had an adverse long term reaction to the annual flu vaccine in the past, so I have a genuine concern. In saying this I will be awaiting my call to the vaccination centre in the near future.