A leading figure behind Hertfordshire's new mass vaccination centre has hailed an "amazing response" as the first vaccines were administered.
Robertson House in Stevenage was one of seven 'superhubs' to open in England today, capable of delivering thousands of Covid vaccines a week.
Hundreds of people aged over 80 and living within 45 minutes of Stevenage received a letter last week from the NHS inviting them to book an appointment for a Covid vaccine in Stevenage, with thousands more letters on the way this week.
The first patients arrived at Robertson House this morning, with the vaccination programme being run by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust.
Sarah Browne, director of nursing and quality at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust, said there had been an "amazing" response from people offered a coronavirus vaccine.
She said: "We’ve been absolutely amazed, the booking system went live on Saturday morning and by 11am our slots were virtually fully booked.
"So it’s amazing how many people got that letter on Saturday and have already booked in.
"We know all our slots are booked for today and tomorrow, and we’re monitoring it on a day-by-day basis as to how many slots we’ve got available as to who else we then otherwise need to invite in."
Photos showed people queuing in a line outside before being invited in for the vaccine.
They will have been greeted by volunteers who marshal car parks and register them when they arrive.
By around 2pm, the socially distanced queue of elderly people outside had cleared, because people are now being asked to wait in a temporary car park before being called 15 minutes before their appointment to the top car park to minimise the amount of time waiting outside.
The number of booths in the Robertson House assessment area, where arriving patients are initially processed, had also risen from four to 12 by Monday afternoon.
Inside, there is a waiting room before patients receive a health status check and a pre-vaccination assessment before they have their jab - after the jab they are observed for 15 minutes.
Ms Brown said more than 100 staff would be working at the mass vaccination centre in Stevenage this week.
She added: "What we’re going to be doing is looking at this as also a training centre, so as more vaccination centres go live staff will come through here, understand the process and really feel confident to go live in their own areas."
She said those administering the jabs in Stevenage were drawn from an existing school-age immunisation service, used to delivering "hundreds" of vaccines, plus other staff who had come forward to be trained.
Wider support had also come from the local fire and rescue service, the army and volunteers.
The NHS opens its newest front in the fight against COVID-19 today, with the activation of the first seven NHS Vaccination Centres across the country.
— NHS England and NHS Improvement (@NHSEngland) January 11, 2021
Read about the large-scale sites, capable of delivering thousands of the life-saving jabs each week. ➡️ https://t.co/HPV8pcgftT pic.twitter.com/OdVraVuKd5
The NHS says more vaccination centres will be set up across England, which is in addition to the more local GP hubs and hospitals, already delivering the vaccine.
Only those who receive a letter can book a slot online or via the phone for an appointment in Stevenage.
Those planning on receiving the Covid vaccination do not have to accept the invitation to go to Stevenage - instead they can continue to wait to be invited to a centre, like a GP hub, closer to home.
Read more: Q&A: Mass vaccination centre opens in Hertfordshire
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