PLANS to offer the Pfizer Covid vaccine to people over 80 in Oxford this week have been shaken up as NHS England works out the logistics of delivering the jabs.

UPDATE: Barton Community Centre now on list to offer Covid vaccine this week

Injections were due to take place at Barton Community Centre at the end of the week as part of the second wave of jabs, and residents had already been contacted, letting them know that it would be available.

But Oxford GP Joe McManners has now said that NHS England has had to cut the number of sites offering the vaccine and the community centre may no longer be used this week.

ALSO READ: Full list of 50 Covid vaccine hubs in first wave revealed

Around 1,000 over-80s were expected to receive their jabs at the centre.

The NHS refused to say yesterday whether the centre would be used this week or not.

Dr McManners, who is also a city councillor, said: “This is massively disappointing for our patients, especially as we have already told them to be ready.

"We’re still really keen to do it and are working with NHS England, but we’re not sure we will be able to offer the vaccine in the early waves.”

Oxford Mail:

Dr Joe McManners.

Two other sites in Oxford will still be doing vaccinations this week as well as others across the county such as in Chipping Norton and Abingdon, but not all of the hubs originally on the list will be doing so.

The way NHS England is rolling out the jabs is through a small number of GP-led primary care networks.

This means a group of GPs will work on behalf of all practices at a hub as the vaccine cannot get to each site because it needs to be stored at -70C before being thawed out, and can only be moved four times before being used.

The whole operation of administering the jabs at any given hub has to be done in one day.

ALSO READ: Oxford Covid vaccine 'safe and effective', study shows

Although there is uncertainty about whether the vaccine will be available at Barton Community Centre this week, Dr McManners said he was eager to help.

He said: “It’s like a little challenge for us because we’ve only got one day to give out the vaccine to as many over-80s as we can. We have nurses, healthcare assistants, doctors and volunteers – it’s a huge logistical exercise to get people in quickly.

“They only have a certain amount of time to get it so it’ll be a bit of a race for us. If they miss out, they will have to wait until the next wave which will be some time in January, but the response has been pretty positive.”

Oxford Mail:

File photo of people queuing to get into Barton Community Centre for a jobs fair.

Because of the difficulty in transporting the vaccine safely, residents in care homes are yet to receive it.

However, Dr McManners said that the vaccine developed by Oxford University would be much easier to move around.

He said: “The Pfizer vaccine can’t be transported to care homes, we have to wait until the regulator says it’s okay to move it around. We can’t even move it from one building to another.

“The Oxford vaccine will be easier to administer because it’s stored in a fridge and it will probably be the one that we’ll be using for everyone else once we’re through the first wave.”

ALSO READ: Oxfordshire reacts to Covid vaccine rollout

Speaking on the vaccine being ready so quickly at the end of a challenging year, he said: “It’s pretty incredible. It’s been a horrible year for everyone and the only way to get back to normal is through a vaccine. I don’t think anyone thought a vaccine would be made this quickly.

“Heathcare staff are looking forward to protecting the vulnerable, especially before Christmas, and there is hope for next year particularly for the elderly.

“Some people are anxious and worried but we’re confident about its safety and healthcare professionals will be having it as soon as possible.”

NHS England said yesterday that it could not confirm which sites in Oxfordshire were offering the vaccine to over-80s as it was still going through ‘assurance processes’ and confirming the logistics of delivering it.

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