Over 1,000 Hartlepool patients to get Covid vaccine in three-day drive after town topped national jab roll-out

NHS staff from the Hartlepool and Stockton Health (HASH) GP federation will deliver doses of the Pfizer vaccine between Friday, January 8, and Sunday, January 10 at Hartlepool Town Hall Theatre in Raby Road.

They will be given to patients aged over 80 who are in the first priority group for the vaccine and who have been given appointments by their GP practice.

People without an appointment are asked not to attend.

Vicky Holt, director of nursing for Hartlepool and Stockton Health, said: “We’ve had just over 1,000 vaccines delivered Thursday morning and will start vaccinating Friday.

"The message though is please do not turn up if you do not have an appointment. Your GP practices will contact you when it’s your turn.”

Just before Christmas, more than 1,000 people received their first dose of the vaccine at the town hall helping Hartlepool to be the top local authority area in the country for the number of people who had received their first vaccination.

Vicky added: "It went brilliantly. There was a lovely atmosphere and we made it as Covid safe as we could.

“It is a massive team effort to pull something like this off. We’ve been working with the GP practices, Hartlepool Borough Council and the town hall team.

"It’s been really good.”

People getting the jab this weekend are members of five GP practices from West View to Seaton Carew that are part of a Primary Care Network comprising around 30,000 patients.

The GP federation has also been working with care homes across Hartlepool to deliver the vaccine.

Vicky said Hartlepool’s good performance in the roll out of the vaccines was based on its readiness to deliver.

"We’re putting ourselves forward to get as many people through this vaccination programme as we can.

"Everyone is working really hard.”

This week the Government announced seven regional mass vaccination hubs to try to meet its target of vaccinating 14 million people across the UK by February.

The nearest to Hartlepool will be at the Centre For Life in Newcastle and is expected to be staffed by a combination of NHS staff and volunteers.

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