Vaccine centre offers comfort amid concerns over Covid-19 jab
Doddington Vaccination Centre has offered reassurance to residents over concerns raised about the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. - Credit: Fenland Group Practice
NHS staff in the Fens have reassured residents to keep coming for their Covid-19 vaccination amid concerns over the Oxford-AstraZeneca (AZ) jab.
Staff at Doddington Hospital, who are giving vaccines to patients from March, Manea, Wimblington, Ramsey, Chatteris, Sutton and the village itself, said they have seen “no problems” with the AZ vaccine.
Concerns have been raised over whether the vaccine, made in Britain, causes blood clots in patients but the European Medicines Agency said they are convinced the benefits outweigh the risks.
Writing on their Facebook page on March 16, Doddington Vaccination Centre believe a decision by European countries like Denmark to suspend the AZ vaccine rollout due to a reported death from a blood clot after being vaccinated was “frankly ridiculous”.
“Should you be worried? In a word, no,” it said on Facebook.
“We in Cambridgeshire alone have administered more AZ vaccine than Ireland and Denmark put together, and we have seen no problems.
“We want you to keep coming in your droves to get vaccinated, because if we all get a vaccine, life in the UK can return to normal, although we may have to accept that foreign travel is off the agenda for a while yet until our friends abroad get their act together.”
Most Read
- 1 Suspected drink-driver, 41, arrested after tip-off from resident
- 2 Man escapes ‘shocking case’ of modern slavery at hand car wash
- 3 Success after six year battle to get 21 homes approved on factory site
- 4 ‘You now have s**t on your face,’ objector to planning scheme told
- 5 Police thank eagle-eyed motorist for being ‘right place, right time’
- 6 Share your views on our newspaper via reader survey
- 7 Woman ‘drink driver’ arrested for having no licence or insurance
- 8 WATCH: Air ambulances can't land after hospital helipad wrecked by US aircraft
- 9 Suspected paedophile, 61, arrested in live Facebook video stream
- 10 Man who died in road crash is named
The vaccination centre said they are now inviting over 50s to be vaccinated and have confirmed they will be delivering vaccines to those between 18 and 50-years-old.
It will also be setting up clinics for those over 80 to have their second dose as of next month.
Residents queued outside Doddington Hospital ahead of receiving their Covid-19 vaccine in January, a month the centre recorded its highest figures for how much vaccine had been delivered. - Credit: Cambs Times reader
“There are 2,000 (vaccines) ready to go, and 2,000 more arriving next Monday (March 22), the vaccination centre said.
“All first vaccines will be AZ; there is no more Pfizer coming, except to do second vaccines for those who had that one first.
“We are setting up clinics for those patients over 80 to have their second vaccines; these will start week beginning April 5. We will contact you, but please respond as soon as you get your invite.
“We will push out the invites in roughly the same order as we did the initial vaccinations, so if you had yours in week two of January, your second vaccine will be done in the second week of this campaign too.”
On delivering the vaccine for those between 18 and 50-years-old, the centre said they will work with mass vaccination centres and pharmacies, and will look to arrange appointments in the evenings at weekends.
Vaccinations at Doddington cater for patients from GP practices including George Clare Surgery, Priors Field Surgery, Fenland Group Practice, Cornerstone Practice, Ramsey Health Centre, Mercheford House Practice and Riverside Practice.
