CORONAVIRUS: Praise for work of Boston's PRSA vaccination hub during national briefing

The work being done of Boston’s coronavirus vaccination hub came in for national praise during a Downing Street broadcast recently.
Lynda Stockwell has been praised for her workLynda Stockwell has been praised for her work
Lynda Stockwell has been praised for her work

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam Deputy Chief Medical Officer, who is from Boston, spoke of the brilliant job being done at the Princess Royal Sports Arena (PRSA) during a briefing last week.

He name-checked PRSA clinical and operational lead Lynda Stockwell and her team as great examples of the dedicated teams across the country delivering this programme.

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Professor Van Tam – known to many as JVT - said they were doing a brilliant job and in the future they would be able to look back and recognise what a difference they have personally made to the lives of those they have vaccinated.

Professor Jonathan Van TamProfessor Jonathan Van Tam
Professor Jonathan Van Tam

Lynda Stockwell, said: “To say I was surprised when I heard my name mentioned in the briefing is an understatement.

“Across the whole of Lincolnshire we have been at the forefront of the vaccinations delivery from day one and without the whole county-wide team behind this we could not have achieved what we have. It was a very proud and humbling moment for us all.

“It is always a pleasure when Professor Van-Tam, who grew up in Boston, joins our team to help out with vaccinations and there are many of our patients who are taken aback when they realise who will be administering their vaccination to them.”

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The site at the PRSA is one of two Mass Vaccination Centres in Lincolnshire and highlights the way different branches of the NHS have worked so well together, those involved in setting it up say.

The vaccination programme has been developed and is run by NHS Lincolnshire CCG, and the PRSA service is provided by Lincolnshire Community Health Services NHS Trust.

On top of that, Lynda works for Lincolnshire Partnership Foundation NHS Trust, and the pharmacists overseeing the safety of the vaccinations are from United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust, a spokesperson for the CCG said.

The work in Lincolnshire has also been supported by the many volunteers, from partners such as Age UK Lincolnshire, and the numerous others who provide their time to help run the services across the Lincolnshire vaccination sites.

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The roll out of the largest vaccination programme ever undertaken by the NHS would not have been possible without the co-operation of many other agencies and partners, the spokesperson added.

“Our GP practices and Primary Care Networks have provided vaccination services to their registered patients in local communities, and the staff at United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust have provided hospital hub services to ensure we were able to vaccinate our health and social care workforce efficiently.

“This has truly been a collective effort across health, social and voluntary agencies across Lincolnshire. We would like to thank all of those who have come forwards for their vaccination for their patience and understanding as we rolled out this programme.”

Nearly a third of Lincolnshire residents have received their second dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, but the number of jabs being given out dropped by 17% last week, according to the latest figures.

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Data released on Thursday shows altogether 634,706 jabs have taken place in the county between December 8 and May 2 — a further 38,553 in the last week, and down on the 46,631 jabs given the week before.

The latest figures show that some 443,360 Lincolnshire residents have received their first vaccine dose (70%) and 191,346 have been given their second (30%).

Of those over the age of 45, a total of 365,828 have received their first vaccination and another 168,943 have had their second.

Some 77,532 people aged under 45 received their first dose, with a further 22,403 receiving a second jab so far. This includes those aged between 16 to 64 who are clinically vulnerable and at more risk of serious symptoms of coronavirus.

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Office for National Statistics estimates put the total adult (16+) Lincolnshire population at 629,926, meaning that around 70.38% of residents have now received their first jab and 30.37% their second.

In North Lincolnshire, a total of 143,459 (47,259 second doses) vaccines have been distributed and 117,722 (33,302 second doses) have received a jab in North East Lincolnshire.

The mass COVID-19 vaccination centre at Lincolnshire Showground hit a huge milestone recently, having reached an incredible 50,000 vaccinations so far.

On Wednesday, the first hospital death in 17 days was recorded in Lincolnshire, while in Northern Lincs there have been no hospital deaths recorded in more than three weeks. There were 17 hospital patients across the entire region with COVID-19. Low hospitalisations and death figures are a major factor in how the vaccine’s success is recorded.