Today (Monday 1 March 2021) the Prime Minster Boris Johnson visited Tunstall’s Covid-19 Vaccination Centre, which is one of three large vaccination centres in Staffordshire.
The Prime Minister visited the centre to thank staff for their hard work and dedication throughout the pandemic. During the lunchtime visit the Prime Minister spoke to staff about the progress of the vaccination programme within the local area.
To date over 387,000 doses of the Covid-19 vaccination have been administered in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent. Last week the area topped the national league table with 96% of over 70s having received their first dose of the vaccine.
Tracy Hall, Clinical Lead for Tunstall Vaccination Centre gave the Prime Minister a tour of the center and said: “It was lovely to be visited by the Prime Minister today and showcase all of the work that we are putting into the vaccination programme for the people of Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire.
“During the visit I told him about some of the fantastic feedback that we have received from patients who have visited the vaccination centre. For some of these people coming for their vaccine is the first time that they have left their home in months. They are over the moon to be receiving the vaccination and to be getting one step closer to returning to some sort of normality.”
Neil Carr, Chief Executive of Midlands Partnership NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Responsible Officer for the vaccination programme in Staffordshire said: “Today’s visit from the Prime Minister has given a real morale boost to our staff and volunteers who have, and continue to, go above and beyond in our local response to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Locally the uptake in the vaccine is very good and the success of the programme is credited to our workforce. Vaccination centres across Staffordshire are now vaccinating people in cohorts 5 and 6, which includes people aged 65 years of age and over, and all individuals aged 16 years to 64 years with underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of serious disease and mortality. If you fall into those cohorts please do take up the offer to receive our vaccination.”
Mr Carr added: “The vaccination programme in Staffordshire is a true partnership effort and the contribution of our GPs has been significant. To date GPs have vaccinated 77% of all citizens vaccinated locally.”
For more information about booking your covid-19 vaccination and current eligibility please visit https://www.twbstaffsandstoke.org.uk/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination
Jack Brereton MP said:
“The Prime Minister has put Stoke-on-Trent at the top of his agenda, and has become a champion for our city. I was delighted to welcome him as he visited to thank the local team for the hard work they’ve put in vaccinating the most vulnerable.
NHS Teams in Tunstall, Longton, Blurton, and across Staffordshire have been doing an amazing job as nationwide we reach 20 million vaccine doses given.”
Jonathan Gullis MP said:
“Delighted to have the Prime Minister visit Stoke-on-Trent’s mass vaccination centre in Tunstall today. Nearly 400,000 people across Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire have had their first dose. The Prime Ministers visit and recognition of the hard work by our local NHS and City Council to have the facility up and running, will be a huge morale boost to our health heroes and volunteers as we continue to gets jabs into arms, protecting the most at risk groups from Covid-19.”
Jo Gideon MP said:
“It was fantastic to welcome the Prime Minister to Stoke-on-Trent’s vaccination centre so that he could see first-hand the hard work being put in on a daily basis by our NHS frontline and volunteers. The vaccination progress Stoke-on-Trent has been phenomenal and well-organised, it was a pleasure to welcome the Prime Minister to our facility and to speak with him about the local roll-out. I hope to welcome him back to Stoke-on-Trent very soon.”