No South Holland sites on initial list of those giving out COVID-19 vaccine

A list of sites where the COVID-19 vaccine is being delivered has been published – but there’s currently none in South Holland.

Alongside the already announced vaccination sights at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston and County Hospital in Lincolnshire, the first places to offer the vaccine in the county according to NHS England are St Mary’s Medical Centre in Stamford, The Table Tennis Club in Grantham Meres, Louth Hospital, The Sidings Medical Practice in Boston, Franklin Hall Spilsby, Portland Medical and Rustons Sports and Social in Lincoln and Cliff Villages Medical Practice in Navenby.

More facilities are set to be announced in the future.

As previously reported, The Voice has been told by an NHS spokesperson that “the Astra Zeneca/Oxford vaccine will start to be rolled out to ‘Primary Care’ services in Lincolnshire by ‘later this week’, though district council leader Lord Gary Porter expressed his doubts that would include South Holland.

He and Lincolnshire County Council leader Martin Hill have called for greater transparency on the plans for the roll out.

South Holland not having a COVID-19 site follows the area’s MP Sir John Hayes asking Prime Minister Boris Johnson: “Millions of Britons live in remote rural places, including here in Lincolnshire. The Prime Minister will know that isolation fuels fear, which exacerbates disadvantage, and that only vaccination will bring the safety that assuages those fears. Will he reassure my constituents that local doctors’ surgeries will be equipped and supplied so that they are able to vaccinate the vulnerable not later, but sooner?”

Mr Johnson replied: “It is our intention that doctors’ surgeries, which clearly play a crucial part in the vaccination programme, will be equipped as fast as possible with supplies of the vaccine—as plentiful, I hope, as the copies of “Wisden” that adorn my right hon. Friend’s shelf. That is what we intend to do.” 

Lord Porter tweeted the minister for COVID-19 vaccination Nadhim Zahawi this afternoon (Thursday) following the release of the list.

He said: “Dear @nadhimzahawi @BorisJohnson told John Hayes (from the floor of the House) that the vaccine would be rolled by out by GPs in @SHollandDC sooner rather than later. @NHSEngland refused to tell us where they were but published a list today and there are no sites in South Holland.”