Sessions for staff members at Doncaster Royal Infirmary ran from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 October. Initially these sessions are taking place at a drop-in centre located within the hospital, where colleagues are encouraged to come along and receive their Pfizer booster from a trained member of staff if they received the first dose of the vaccine in late 2020, or early 2021, at specific venues.
On Monday 11 October a booking system will be put place and the rollout out will continue. Every member of staff who has received two doses of the vaccine will receive a text message from the hospital, which will give them the date, time, and location of their booster.
The campaign has got off to a fantastic start as many staff have already taken up the offer of a COVID vaccination booster in the community. The Trust hopes that this trend will continue, and that this campaign can be as successful as the first vaccine rollout at the hospital, when more than 13,000 doses were delivered into arms.
Karen Barnard, Director of People and Organisational Development, said: “The rollout of the Pfizer booster jab will enable us to maximise the protection of those who are most vulnerable to COVID-19, and is a crucial step in the Trust’s fight against the virus.
“As we move into the colder months, cases of all the winter illnesses, including COVID-19, will begin to rise, and we need to be as well prepared as we can be. Those who get the booster vaccination are not only protecting themselves, but also their colleagues, friends, and family and I want to thank my colleagues for the dedication and enthusiasm they have shown in supporting our vaccination programme”
The rollout of the Covid-19 booster jab follows on from the very successful flu vaccination campaign which began on 20 September. The health providers are placing significant emphasis on this year’s vaccination campaigns as there is a potential for COVID-19, influenza, and norovirus to be circulating as the weather turns colder.
Karen continues: “We are very fortunate in that we have traditionally had high levels of vaccination compliance amongst our workforce. In just the first 10 days of our flu vaccination programme, more than 3,500 colleagues came forward – and we hope for a similar show of support as we move ahead with the delivery of COVID-19 booster jabs.”
Health professionals at the Trust are continuing to urge local people to adhere to Government guidelines on Covid-19, particularly stressing the importance of hands, face, and space. Visitors to the hospitals can also help in the fight against the winter illnesses by not coming to the Trust to see relatives and friends in hospital if they have any COVID-19, flu, or cold symptoms such as fever, chills, headache, cough, body aches and fatigue. A full list of visiting restrictions can be viewed here: https://www.dbth.nhs.uk/coronavirus-need-know/
