AN OXFORD hospital boss described the Covid vaccine as 'hope at the end of an incredibly difficult year' as the first jabs were administered in the city yesterday.

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The Churchill, run by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH), was one of 50 hospital hubs chosen to roll out the initial wave of jabs, with stock of the vaccine delivered to sites from Sunday.

People aged 80 and older, care home workers and NHS workers who are at higher risk are at the front of the queue for the Pfizer jabs, which must be stored at -70C.

Oxford Mail:

The very first person to receive the vaccine was a 90-year-old grandmother, Margaret Keenan, who was given the jab in Coventry at 6.31am.

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In Oxford, the honour went to Nicholas Woodthorpe, with people over 80 years old, care workers and frontline NHS workers from Oxfordshire and West Berkshire all vaccinated on the first day.

Another early recipient was Anne Wagner, who works as a team manager for the acute hospitals team based at the John Radcliffe Hospital.

Oxford Mail:

The Oxfordshire County Council social care worker has been on the frontline during the pandemic.

OUH chief executive Dr Bruno Holthof, who tweeted a picture of the very first Oxford vaccine being prepared, said: “I would like to thank all of our staff who have done such a tremendous job to get our hospital hub set up at such pace.

 

"This has been a great achievement of team working by our estates, digital, pharmacy and clinical staff, with the support of many more."

He added it was a 'hugely significant moment' in the pandemic response and said: "It offers hope at the end of what has been an incredibly difficult year for us all."

Oxford Mail:

He added: "The strict approval process it has gone through means that the approved vaccine, and any other vaccines approved in the future, will not only be safe, but will also be our best defence against the virus."

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Oxford University's Covid vaccine has been submitted to regulators for approval.

OUH’s chief nursing officer Sam Foster, said she had been 'proud to play my part' in delivering the first vaccinations on this 'historic day in our battle against the pandemic'.

Oxford Mail:

She added those with the highest need had been invited for vaccinations and urged patients not to contact their GP, adding: "We know people are keen to have it, but we have limited supplies currently and will be contacting those who need it most first."

Hospitals will also work with care home providers to book their staff in to vaccination clinics.

Oxfordshire County Council on Monday confirmed it is ‘working closely’ with NHS partners and care home providers to ‘ensure that arrangements are in place to start delivering the vaccination programme as soon as supplies become available’.

Oxford Mail:

NHS England chief executive Sir Simon Stevens praised all those involved in delivering the new vaccine programme.

He said: “Less than a year after the first case of this new disease was diagnosed, the NHS has now delivered the first clinically approved Covid-19 vaccination – that is a remarkable achievement.

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“A heartfelt thank you goes to everyone who has made this a reality – the scientists and doctors who worked tirelessly, and the volunteers who selflessly took part in the trials. They have achieved in months what normally takes years.

Oxford Mail:

“My colleagues across the health service are rightly proud of this historic moment as we lead in deploying the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

“I also want to thank Margaret, our first patient to receive the vaccine on the NHS."

He added: “Today is just the first step in the largest vaccination programme this country has ever seen.

"It will take some months to complete the work as more vaccine supplies become available and until then we must not drop our guard."