Julian visits Askham Bar Vaccination Site
March 1, 2021
Following the announcement over the weekend that the UK’s vaccine programme had reached another milestone with over twenty million people having received at least one vaccine dose, Julian visited York’s Askham Bar vaccination site to see how the rollout is being managed locally.
The Askham Bar site is quite unique in many ways, in the fact it is operated directly by GPs via Nimbuscare which represents 11 practices across the city and that both a local vaccination centre and mass vaccination centre are located on the same site. Any challenges that this could pose have not hindered our rollout though and over 80,000 vaccine doses have been administered across the site, which works out at roughly one in every 250 vaccinations in the UK. Data released on Friday shows that 60,000 of those doses were administered to York residents.
Julian met with Prof Mike Holmes who showed him around the site and talked him through what someone coming for a vaccine can expect as well as giving some behind-the-scenes insight into the logistics of coordinating appointments with vaccine supply.
After visiting the Askham Bar site, Julian commented:
“It has been fantastic to have the opportunity to visit the vaccination site today to see the incredibly efficient operation that has been set up in such a short space of time. In the hour I toured the site, I quickly lost count of the amount of people moving through the centre having been vaccinated.
I was particularly impressed with how many different organisations have come together to help operate the centre, with NHS staff being joined by Armed Forces personnel, St John’s Ambulance volunteers, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue crew, newly qualified dentists as well as local residents. This exemplifies our city’s approach to the pandemic, and I hope our experiences of pulling together to overcome the adversities we have faced can continue into the future.
I discussed with Prof Mike Holmes the potential for using the Askham Bar site in a manner that honours the legacy of the excellent vaccine rollout and ensures the area continues to be used for the public good. I look forward to continuing these conversations in a few months when the end of our country’s biggest ever vaccination programme is within sight.
My overall takeaway from my visit today is that if you are invited for a vaccine, you are in very good hands and all is being done to ensure you have as good an experience as possible. So, if you receive a text from your GP or a letter from the NHS, do not delay in booking your appointment as you not only protect yourself but others around you”
