Telford International Centre opens as a mass vaccination hub
The Telford International Centre (TIC) has opened today at 11:00am as a mass vaccination hub, say local health leaders, allowing rapid acceleration of the local vaccine programme in Telford.
Health leaders have also confirmed, that all our over 65s in care homes were vaccinated over the weekend. This puts us right on track to meet the national target of the most vulnerable receiving their vaccinations by 15th February. Local health leaders have again reiterated that their local roll out plan for our area is on track and that they will meet the national target.
In addition to the Mallinslee hub, and the Woodside pharmacy, Telford residents have been going to Bridgnorth and Birmingham for jabs. Now we will have access to a central location in Telford which makes it much easier for people to attend and the numbers vaccinated will rapidly rise as a result.
Health leaders confirmed Shropshire had had some minor start-up issues due to its rural geography and the requirement to store the Pfizer vaccine at -70c, making it better suited for mass vaccination centres and densely populated areas.
Local demographics and geography will inevitably mean some regions roll out vaccinations more quickly than others, but claims that our area is the slowest at vaccinating in the country are simply wrong. We were slightly below the national average at the start of the month but we have made rapid progress and by this time next week our numbers will be above average.
It has been a tremendous team effort of our local NHS services, council officers, volunteers and military personnel who have established and expanded capacity in Telford. Everyone has worked incredibly hard to make this possible. I am very grateful and I would ask all residents to support this amazing effort and this national mission to protect the vulnerable.
I have also been personally assured that the Government will provide the supply of vaccine needed to meet our vaccination capacity as it continues to expand.
Just two months ago, we had no firm guarantee we would even have a working vaccine. Now we have three approved vaccines, with some 5 million people having been vaccinated and a clear roll out plan, both locally and nationally and the delivery infrastructure in place. This is fantastic news, bringing hope to us all.
