Hundreds given Covid-19 vaccine in Chesterfield in three days

More than 800 elderly and vulnerable people received a first dose of a coronavirus jab when the town’s Wheatbridge Surgery opened as a vaccination site on Saturday.

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Meanwhile, around 1,100 first shots were administered to healthcare workers at the Winding Wheel theatre on Thursday and Friday.

Derby and Derbyshire Clinical Commissioning Group, which is managing the vaccine roll-out in the county, said it was going ‘according to plan’.

Chesterfield MP Toby Perkins was at Wheatbridge Surgery on Saturday and praised the ‘efficient’ operation.

He said: “Anyone over the age of 70 should expect to get a phone call before February 15 inviting them to an appointment.

“It might not come until early February but I am told that it will come.

“While I accept that everyone wants to hear that phone ring and some people will hear that their cousin somewhere else has had theirs, there does need to be a realism about the fact that we have 240,000 people to vaccinate in Derbyshire and some of them have been done and lots more still need to be done - and they will all happen even if the phone hasn’t rung yet.

“Someone will be first and someone will be last but nobody is late until February 16.”

Some Chesterfield people may be offered appointments at Stubley Medical Practice in Dronfield Woodhouse.

Walton Hospital in Chesterfield is also planned to open as a vaccination site soon.

Mr Perkins added: “I’m delighted to say I’ve been assured that the first appointments for vaccines in Staveley will be arranged and delivered by the weekend at Inkersall GP practice.”

People are reminded that the NHS will contact them when it is their turn to have the vaccine.

By February 15, the Government aims to have offered a first vaccine dose to everyone in the top four priority groups – care home residents and workers, NHS frontline staff, the over-70s and the extremely clinically vulnerable.

In Derbyshire, this equals around 240,000 people.

According to NHS England figures released on Monday, 746,487 Covid-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the Midlands.

The Derbyshire Times asked NHS England for more localised vaccine data but was told it is not currently available.

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