Elland Road mass vaccination centre opens: Leeds Utd Women's player vaccinates first patient

The Elland Road centre, one of 23 vaccination centres in Leeds, opens today (Mon Feb 8) for people in the first priority cohorts who have received an invitation from the national booking system.

It will work alongside services provided by community pharmacists, NHS trusts and 19 GP practice networks (PCNs), which have already administered tens of thousands of vaccines to people at the greatest risk from Covid-19.

Leeds United Ladies defender, Olivia Smart, is an advanced practitioner in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals’ transplant team and has already been vaccinating her colleagues and other health professionals around the city.

She is now helping staff at the centre to vaccinate 9,200 people a week, including Mewa Singh Khela, 72 who was one of the first to be vaccinated there this morning.

The first group from the general public this week will be those in priority cohorts one to four, which includes people over 70 years of age and those who are registered as clinically extremely vulnerable.

The site has been operating as a hospital hub for the past two weeks to support the vaccination of frontline health and care workers.

Transforming the Pavilion into a vaccination hub has been a collaborative partnership across Leeds, involving support from Leeds City Council, IT specialists, security teams and the Leeds United Football Club.