STAFF from a York GP surgery vaccinated almost 220 people at four care homes on Friday and over the weekend.

The team from Elvington Medical Practice carried out 80 vaccinations on staff and residents at Somerset Care Home in Wheldrake on Friday. They followed this up on Saturday with 90 jabs at the Riverview Care Complex at Kexby - comprising two care homes, Riverside and Derwent. They then finished the day at Grimston Court further along the A1079 where 48 residents and staff also got the Pfizer jab. In total 218 people got their first jab.

Practice manager Abigail Holdstock was part of the nine strong team from the surgery.

She said: "The vaccine itself has to be used in a very short time so in order to get things underway it meant some staff cancelling planned leave and working on their days off to do it, but it was an amazing atmosphere at each care home. They were all so well organised and at such short notice with patients who need a lot of looking after.

"The patients were so grateful to be getting the vaccine. There were lots of tears and we got a big round of applause when it was time to leave. It was really overwhelming to see such great com munity spirit.

"This is just the beginning of the cimmunity vaccinations and ourselves, along with at the other practices across the Vale of York are all supporting the big vaccination site at Askham Bar. We are very hopeful that more and more supplies will come through and we'll get better and better with the new Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine which has fewer constraints.

"One thing I would ask is that patients do not contant us about the vaccine. We will contact them as and when the vaccines are available."

The other members of the team from Elvington were Jayne Charters from patient services,pharmacist Maja Komljenovic, Dr Sarah Bird, Dr Nicole Kessen, Dr Rachel Chadwick, Dr Tim Longmore, Dr Jamie Ingham and Dr Nathan De Barr.