New mass vaccination centre to open at Royal Cornwall Showground

Frederick Durber receives the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, admininstered by Chief Pharmacist Richard Harrison, at Askham Bar park-and-ride in York, as ten further mass vaccination centres opened in England with more than a million over-80s invited to receive their coronavirus jab.
An elderly man being vaccinated at another centre in the UK. Credit: ITV West Country

A second mass vaccination centre will open in Cornwall in the continued fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The Royal Cornwall Showground will be the latest site used to roll out the vaccine. It will be open from Monday 1 February.

Cornwall's most vulnerable will be invited to the vaccination centre in Wadebridge.

The new centre opens a week after the first Cornwall site opened at Stithians Showground.

People will receive a letter when it is their turn to have the vaccine and people are being asked not contact the NHS to ask for a vaccine or show up to the showground without an appointment.

A statement from Kernow Clinic Commissioning Group asked people to be "patient", saying the rollout "will take some time".

It said: "The NHS will be in touch with you when it’s your turn."

Iain Davidson, clinical lead for the vaccination centres and hospital hub, and chief pharmacist at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, said: “People aged 70 and over, and adults of all ages who are the most vulnerable are also due to receive a letter inviting them to book an appointment as they are within the first four priority groups.

“Everyone across health and care, including the emergency services and volunteers, as well as those at the Royal Cornwall Showground, have put in a tremendous amount of effort to enable us to be ready for Monday, and I cannot thank them enough.”

Rachel Wigglesworth added: "The vaccine does not mean that you are immune immediately, so we can’t start hugging each other just yet, or stop following social distancing guidelines. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, but in the meantime, we must keep our guard up.”


Read more: