420,000 COVID-19 vaccination doses delivered across Herefordshire

The NHS has delivered more than 420,000 COVID-19 vaccination doses during 2021 to help protect residents in Herefordshire.

Wye Valley NHS Trust and Herefordshire GPs are marking the one year anniversary of the COVID-19 vaccination programme by paying tribute to the local healthcare workers who have delivered more than 420,000 COVID-19 vaccination doses to help protect local residents and colleagues.

Since the launch, working closely together, Herefordshire GPs, Taurus Healthcare and Wye Valley NHS Trust staff have successfully set up and staffed vaccination HUBs across the county, including hospital, pharmacy, and GP led HUBs.  

In light of the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, which is spreading quickly and the added immunity that booster jabs offer to help protect people against serious illness, vaccination capacity in the county has been stepped up to include extra vaccination appointments and pop up vaccination sites in the city.  

So far more than 82.5 per cent of those eligible in Herefordshire who are registered with a GP have their second vaccination dose and currently 117,149 residents have been boosted with their third dose against the severe effects of COVID-19. 

Herefordshire General Practice together with its Federation, Taurus Healthcare, has made a hugely significant contribution to the local vaccination effort.

Dr Mike Hearne, GP and Managing Director at Taurus Healthcare said: “Herefordshire General Practice has worked tirelessly with its Federation (Taurus Healthcare), Wye Valley NHS Trust and other healthcare and voluntary sector partners to deliver its part in the largest vaccination programme this country has ever seen.

“Between 1 January and 31 December 2021, Herefordshire partners have between them delivered 158,126 1st doses, 148,122 2nd doses and 117,149 booster vaccinations.

“I’m immensely proud of the contribution General Practice has made, not forgetting that the vaccine delivery programme was managed at the same time as services continued to offer day-to-day care to patients. Everyone has worked so hard and it’s been humbling to see the effort that has been made and the results achieved.

“So far more than 82.5 per cent of our eligible population who are registered with a Herefordshire GP have stepped forward to be vaccinated. This is a fantastic achievement, but we would like to encourage all those who have yet to get vaccinated to come forward in order to protect themselves, their family and friends and our healthcare services.”

Jane Ives, managing director at Wye Valley NHS Trust, said: “We’re extremely proud and thankful for the outstanding ongoing efforts of our staff throughout the pandemic and our vaccination team at Hereford County Hospital and Elgar House led by Lucy Flanagan, chief nursing officer, and Erica Hermon, leading on the vaccination programme logistics, who have so far administered more than 122,000 COVID-19 vaccinations to colleagues and local residents.  This a staggering achievement and our staff have played a significant part in the vaccination roll out in Herefordshire. 

“Last year, we had no idea that we would still be vaccinating people a year on and now administering the COVID-19 booster. The programme initially started with the vaccination of thousands of health and care staff across the county at our hospital site. We then swiftly rose to the challenge with more than 100 trained WVT vaccinators to provide mass vaccination of local residents at the Elgar House vaccination hub. 

“Thanks to the vaccines and vaccination staff across the NHS in Herefordshire and our partner organisations, we have helped to saved lives and protect residents from severe illness, for which we are very grateful”.

A booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine is available for everyone aged 18 and over, and some people aged 16 and over, who have had two doses of the vaccine at least three months ago. Everyone aged 12 and over can get a 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccine. To book vaccination/booster visit:

• www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/

• For more information about where to get vaccinated, follow this link

• Find a walk-in coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccination site - NHS (www.nhs.uk)