THE doctor in charge of York’s largest vaccination centre hopes all of the city’s over-50s can get the jab by Easter - provided everyone continues to pull together and sufficient vaccines are delivered.

Professor Mike Holmes was speaking as vaccinations resumed on the former Askham Bar Park & Ride car park yesterday, following the delivery of two fresh batches of the Pfizer vaccine.

He said the site could soon be operating for 12 hours a day, seven days a week and, with a capacity to vaccinate up to 1,500 patients per day, it could be ‘doable’ for everyone in York aged 50 and over to be jabbed within the next 12 weeks. “That’s our ambition,” he said.

He also said he hoped that the majority of York care home residents and staff would be vaccinated by the end of next week.

Prof Holmes, chair of Nimbuscare Ltd, the primary care provider involving 11 GP practices across York, which is running the centre, also revealed that:

  • None of the 3,500 people vaccinated in the run-up to Christmas had suffered an adverse allergic reaction. Everyone had been advised not to have the Pfizer jab if they had a history of anaphylactic reaction, but to wait until the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was available.
  • The first 400 doses of the Oxford vaccine were due to be delivered this week.
  • About 100 people worked each day on the site, including medical and administrative staff from GP practices but also others, such as newly qualified dentists with limited opportunity to move into dentistry jobs during the pandemic, and other volunteers from across the community.
  • The site will continue to administer flu vaccinations to people aged between 50 and 65 on some days, including this Sunday, as part of the national drive to ensure people do not get both flu and Covid.

He said he expected more batches of Covid vaccine to arrive next week, which would originally have provided the second dose for people who were vaccinated at the centre just before Christmas.

Following a change in Government policy, aimed at protecting as many people as quickly as possible, these would now be given as a first dose for thousands of other people.

Those who had originally been given appointments for their second dose next week would be contacted to reschedule them and he urged such people not to turn up to the site.

He stressed that the centre’s future ability to vaccinate people at full capacity would be dependent on vaccine availability

Prof Holmes thanked local organisations and businesses who had helped in the setting up and running of the site, which included Advance Fire Services, City of York Council, Cleaning At Your Place, Community TM Ltd, Eboracum UK Ltd, Herbert Todd & Sons, KC Conveniences Love to Eat and Yorkshire Fence Hire, Your Marquees and Countryside Events.

“This is a local operation, carried out by a local team, using local suppliers, so we’re investing back into the community too,” he said.

“This is something York should be proud of.”