EXCLUSIVE: Majority of Rugby's over 80s and care home staff vaccinated thanks to heroic NHS staff and volunteers

Thousands of Rugbeians have received their coronavirus vaccine thanks to the ceaseless work of NHS staff and volunteers at Rugby's new Locke House vaccination centre.

Since the centre began vaccinating on December 16, 5,000 Rugbeians, included 81 per cent of care home staff and 98 per cent of people over 80, have received the jab.

Dr Norman Byrd is the head of Rugby Health, a group of 12 GP surgeries in Rugby which are working together to deliver the vaccine in the new Locke House centre, based on Woodside Park.

This morning he spoke with the Advertiser to relay the impressive figures and to say a huge thank-you to all of the NHS staff and volunteers whose ceaseless work has made the operation possible.

He said: "I’m so proud of what we’ve achieved, at such short notice, under such challenging circumstances.

"It has been wonderful to vaccinate so many Rugby residents so quickly.

"It's gone as well as we could have possibly hoped. Many of this has been down to an enormous amount of planning, particularly from Gita Natarajan, who is managing the centre.

"We also couldn't be doing this without the heroic volunteers, they come from all professions and all walks of life, and they have been absolutely brilliant."

Dr Byrd said there are more than 70 volunteers at the centre, and their hard work means that Rugby's GP surgeries have more resources free to continue treating Rugbeians in their own practices.

"There's a symbiotic relationship between the 12 GP practices, Gita and the volunteers," Dr Byrd added.

A major priority of Dr Byrd's is making sure staff and volunteers are supported and looked after in the coming months.

"At the moment things are very exciting, but this will last for months, so I want to make sure people are not burning out because of the workload."

Dr Byrd said he and the rest of the team have been heartened by the gratefulness of those receiving the vaccine.

"Some have even been in tears, they are so thankful," he said.

And one nurse, with many years' experience, was so excited to begin working at the centre that she could not sleep the night before she was due to start.

With the exception of the two hospital sites in the county, the Rugby centre has delivered more vaccines than any other in Warwickshire.

"We're ahead of the game in Rugby," Dr Byrd said.

On December 15, the day before the centre opened for the first time, 975 vaccines were delivered.

The government set a target for 46,000 vaccinations to be delivered at the centre in the 16 weeks following that.

The 5,000 doses so far delivered have been used to great effect in protecting those most at risk of death.

In recent months concerns nationally have been growing over the number of people who might be reluctant to accept the offer of a vaccination.

But Dr Byrd said this reluctance in any significant proportion not been the case in our borough, with Rugbeians from all communities and backgrounds being overwhelmingly grateful to receive the jab.

Rugby's centre, like those across the country, is working based on the government's policy of administering as many first doses to as many people as possible.

"That's the system the government believes will be the most effective," Dr Byrd said.

He wished to urge all residents who have received their first dose to continue to obey all social-distancing measures.

"I often have older patients asking, 'can I hug my grandchildren after I've been vaccinated?'," Dr Byrd said.

"We have protected many of the people most at risk of dying, but vaccinating this group will not be enough to achieve herd immunity.

"We know that the biggest pool of infections is not the elderly or children - it is working age adults.

"So we are asking people who have been vaccinated to keep following the guidelines until we have achieved herd immunity."

The vaccination of Rugby's over 80s is expected to be complete on Sunday, January 24 - and then the centre will begin contacting those from other groups.

You do not need to contact your GP to ask to be vaccinated, Dr Byrd asked residents to wait to be contacted to be offered the jab.

In the meantime, you can make things easier for the NHS by ensuring that you are registered with your local GP.