KEY workers across the county have been praised for their heroic efforts throughout the pandemic.

Council and NHS leaders from Oxfordshire are taking the opportunity to thank staff across local authorities and the health and social care system for ‘their tireless efforts’ to provide support to the communities and the most vulnerable throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

This includes those who worked on the rollout of the vaccination programme, those on frontline services such as waste an recycling, and those who helped establish the local test and trace system.

Councillor Liz Leffman, who is leader of Oxfordshire County Council said: “"Everyone has worked tremendously hard in the face of adversity to continue to provide us with the support we need during difficult times, and we owe them a huge debt of thanks.

"Of course, COVID is still present and continues to represent a significant risk. We must all, therefore, continue to do what we can to support our frontline workers."

Oxford City Councillor, Louise Upton, who is the Cabinet Member for a Safer, Healthier Oxford, echoed similar praise.

She said: “To the key workers I want to say, we know you and your families have faced extra stresses and extra risks to support us all.

“We know that behind masks there have been tears, doubts and fears, thank you from all of us to all of you for being there every day we needed you.”

Over a year ago, in December 2020, the NHS and local authorities began the largest-ever mass vaccination programme in the UK’s History.

The Oxfordshire Vaccination Delivery Board was set up to oversee the programme, that saw the establishment of two hospital vaccination hubs, 21 GP-led vaccination sites, and a mass vaccination centre at Kassam Stadium in Oxford.

Local pharmacies, walk-in vaccine clinics and the ‘Health on Move’ bus also helped provide jabs to those in need.

Dr David Chapman, Clinical Chair at Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Thank you to everyone who has contributed to delivering the vaccination programme over the past year, and those who have ensured critical health and care services have been delivered for the people of Oxfordshire.

“The extraordinary way we have worked together across the NHS, local authorities, the voluntary sector and communities has been fantastic.

“We must especially thank GP practices and their primary care networks (PCNs) which have been at the forefront of delivering vaccines to 70% per cent of the population in Oxfordshire, including the housebound, care homes and some of the most vulnerable patients, ably supported by scores of volunteers and retired staff coming back to help.”

Since the first vaccine was delivered on December 8, 2020, at the Churchill Hospital, more than 1.5 million vaccinations have been administered to residents in Oxfordshire.

This includes nearly 223,000 booster jabs since the rapid expansion of the programme on 13 December 2021, which equates to a near 90 per cent take-up by those eligible.

David Walker, Chair of Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, added ‘Oxfordshire’s response to the pandemic has been remarkable’.