Shropshire Star

Ludlow care home will be second in Shropshire to begin Covid-19 vaccinations

A care home in south Shropshire will become the second in the county to begin Covid-19 vaccinations on Saturday.

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Vaccinations will be given to residents and staff at Hagley Place Care Home in Ludlow.

Staff say the news has lifted spirits after what has been a challenging year for everyone.

The roll-out of the vaccination programme to care homes in the county began with Morris Care Centre in Wellington earlier this week, where 61-year-old John Heggarty was among the first to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

It comes as a Covid-19 vaccine from Oxford University and AstraZeneca has now been approved for use in the UK, paving the way for mass rollout.

General manager at Hagley Place Care Home, Mary-Jane Jekiel said: “We’ve had a year like no other and the vaccine feels like the light at the end of the tunnel. "Our teams have been magnificent in how they have risen to every challenge during this pandemic and we are proud to play our part in this next phase to ensure the most vulnerable are protected.”

Welcoming the news, Tracey Huffer, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow East, said: “This is great news. We have a job to do in vaccinating the most vulnerable.

"The new Covid variant is spreading rapidly. That’s a threat to people in Ludlow and south west Shropshire who are older and more vulnerable than average.

"We have all been ready to get on this job but health managers have been too slow making decisions.

“We can’t afford any delays. Every day matters.

“We need local vaccination. Moving people around to get vaccinated just adds to the dangers."

Andy Boddington, Shropshire Councillor for Ludlow North, added: “The needs of rural areas such as south west Shropshire are often not understood.

"There is an attitude that rural areas cannot gear up quickly and get on with an urgent job as quickly as urban centres do.

"That’s never been the case. We just work differently.

"Lots of small actions quickly add up to the level of action that can be provided by a hub in a major town.

"We know how to make rural life work.

"Our medical professionals in south west Shropshire can deliver this vaccination programme and just need the power to get on with tackling one of the biggest health crises of our lifetimes.”

Heath bosses say vaccinations will be rolled out to other care homes in the county in the near future.

People are being urged to be patient and wait to be contacted by the NHS when it is their turn to be vaccinated.

Vaccinations started in the county on December 8 at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital hub, which is being used to vaccinate those aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and frontline staff at risk.

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