New vaccine hub opens as doctors issues plea to ignore 'false misinformation'

Elderly patients were glad to receive their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at Bloxwich Active Living yesterday – with some not having left the house since March.

Dr Nanda Pillai, clinical lead at the hub, said rumours about the jab being unsafe were "false and wrong".

He said: "There is a lot of misinformation that you can't get pregnant [if you take the jab] or [you can't take the vaccine] if you had any allergies.

"This is false and wrong. Vaccination is very safe. That is the message I want to get across."

Over the next two days, his team of doctors, nurses and health workers will aim to administer around 1,000 jabs to elderly people. In three months, they will aim to deliver 10,000.

The first cohort of patients are those aged 80 and over, deemed among the population's most clinically vulnerable, who have been invited along to get vaccinated.

People deemed less vulnerable will later be invited along, gradually working down the age spectrum and according to health needs.

Among those to get a jab yesterday was Colin Day, aged 85, from Bloxwich.

He said: "I feel fine about taking the vaccine. I haven't been out of the house since March. I had lunch with my daughter on Christmas Day."

Wolves fan Keith Pitchford, 81, from Bloxwich, said: "I feel more reassured having this vaccine. People do not realise how serious this is.

"I'm absolutely certain, had people not partied at Christmas and New Year, it might not have been this bad."

Sheila Read, 82 from Bloxwich, said: "This vaccine gives me peace of mind, especially with my grandchildren, and me wanting to see them.

"It has been hard. I feel better for having it than not having it. It is a step in the right direction."

Parmjit Dahri, 76, from Bloxwich, brought his mother-in-law, Swaranlata Sandhra, 91, to get a vaccine.

He said: "It is good she has received the vaccine. It will allow her to feel safer going out."

Patients entered through the front doors and were brought into cubicles, where they were given shots of the vaccine.

They then were escorted to a waiting area, where they were asked to wait for 15 minutes to see how they felt.

The site at Bloxwich Active Living, which is usually a leisure centre, is one of several new sites to open in Walsall this week.

Others will be at Oak Park Active Living Centre, opening Friday, and Forrester Street surgery, on Thursday.

Explaining the vaccine operation in Walsall was Dr Anand Rischie, chairman of the borough's clinical commissioning group.

He said: "This hub is specifically to address the north locality of Walsall.

"There are seven localities in Walsall, and six centres. This one will address the Bloxwich area. Apart from that, there is already Manor Hospital.

"Oak Park [Active Living Centre], in Brownhills, will start on Friday. Forrester Street surgery is starting on Thursday.

"Our target is to cover the most vulnerable patients, which is above 80. Also that is frontline clinicians, like GPs and frontline health workers.

"Dr Pillai has promised me he will get all of the care home and nursing home patients done.

"Hopefully, by next week, all of the care home patients will be vaccinated.

"Within the next three months, he will be delivering around 10,000 vaccines. In the next two days, he will be delivering 1,000 vaccines.

"At the moment, coronavirus vaccination is our only way to get back to normality.

"Once we get the whole population vaccinated, it doesn't mean we will be going back to normal immediately.

"But over time, when our infection rates come down, if we are getting more immune to it, very slowly, we will see people smiling.

"That is the most important thing, we haven't seen people smiling, let alone be close to one another."

Walsall North MP Eddie Hughes was present at the hub opening yesterday, where he spoke with patients and health staff.

He said: "It is fantastically re-assuring from several points of view. It is incredibly professional.

"Customer service, in terms of speaking with people who have had the vaccine, seem very pleased with the process, the way they have been notified and dealt with.

"It couldn't have gone better."