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OUH marks one year since first COVID-19 vaccine

08/12/2021
This article is more than two years old.

Nearly 55,000 COVID-19 jabs have been administered by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust's (OUH) vaccination team as they celebrate a year on from giving their first injection.

Today (Wednesday 8 December 2021) is one year since the first COVID-19 vaccination was administered at the Churchill Hospital in Oxford, run by OUH, which was originally one of 50 designated hospital hubs to deliver the vaccine.

As of Tuesday 7 December, a total of 54,717 vaccinations had been administered to OUH and other health and social care staff, patients, and vulnerable members of the public. This includes the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines, as well as first, second, and booster doses.

Lydia Owen, Winter Vaccination Team Lead Nurse at OUH since September, said: "As a latecomer to the OUH COVID-19 Vaccination Centre, I want to thank all those involved in the original set up of the clinic who spearheaded the process and worked hard to ensure that vaccination was available to all those eligible.

"I also want to thank the current members of the Winter Vaccination team, who give excellent help and support to continue this valuable work."

To mark the occasion, staff celebrated with a socially distanced lunch with pizza and cake, funded by Oxford Hospitals Charity, at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism (OCDEM), based at the Churchill, where most of the vaccinations were delivered.

David Walliker, Chief Digital and Partnership Officer who oversaw the launch of the vaccination programme, said: "I am so proud of what the vaccination team has achieved together over the last year, delivering thousands of life-saving vaccinations and protecting so many people, including their colleagues.

"Our COVID-19 vaccination programme – to set up the hub so quickly and to administer nearly 55,000 vaccines – has been phenomenal, and I’d like to say a huge thank you to the staff, volunteers, partners, and community groups who have helped to make this possible."

Douglas Graham, Chief Executive Officer at Oxford Hospitals Charity, said: "The incredible work of this team really deserves recognition, so the charity is delighted to be able to help them take a moment to celebrate today after a truly remarkable year."

Terry Roberts, Chief People Officer at the Trust, said: "COVID-19 still poses a significant risk to people so getting vaccinated against the virus is the best thing to do to protect yourself and your loved ones.

"Thank you to all of those part of our OneTeamOneOUH staff, as well as people across Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and West Berkshire, who accepted their invitations of getting vaccinated.

"We all need to play our part in the fight against COVID-19 so, if you are eligible for a vaccination, we encourage you to book it to help protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community."

Getting your COVID-19 vaccination

The UK was the first country in the world to approve Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine (2 December 2020), and the national vaccination programme has administered more than 115 million doses in total, saving countless lives and reducing pressure on the NHS.

Last week, in light of the new Omicron variant, the government expanded the booster programme to all adults over 18, and announced that all eligible people will be offered a booster jab by the end of January 2022.

Visit the NHS website to book your jab or to find out more about the vaccine.

Pictured, from left: Bryan d'Arcy (Deputy Head of Digital Strategy), Lisa Donner (Vaccination Coordinator), Lydia Owen (Winter Vaccination Team Lead Nurse, front), Rachel Williams (Winter Vaccination Team Deputy Lead Nurse), Sarah Vaccari (Head of Communications at Oxford Hospitals Charity)