Watch: Isle of Wight GP urges caution as we approach bank holiday weekend
Caution is urged this bank holiday weekend to ensure the spread of Coronavirus is kept at bay
As the bank holiday weekend approaches, Islanders are being asked to continue to show the caution that has kept Coronavirus at bay this spring.
As restrictions are eased and we start to enjoy more freedoms, Dr Simon Giles, a GP at The Bay Medical Practice in Shanklin and Sandown, is reminding everyone of the importance of staying Covid safe.
Talking in a new video produced by the Isle of Wight Council, Dr Giles said he had seen first-hand how dangerous Covid-19 can be, especially for more vulnerable Islanders.
The site joins the network of local vaccination centres and the St Mary s Hospital hub already in operation. These are Carisbrooke Health Centre, West Wight Sport and Community Centre, Westridge Centre in Ryde and The Bay Medical Practice in Shanklin. The NHS will contact people when it is their turn. People will need an appointment to get their vaccine, and most people will be invited by letter from their GP practice or the national programme. Dr Dan Baylis, chief medical officer at Solent NHS Trust, who is running the vaccination centres, said: We are proud that Solent NHS Trust has been asked to support the delivery of the Covid-19 vaccination programme across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
A HOTEL in Winchester has begun welcoming patients to receive the Covid vaccination. The Winchester Rural, North and East Primary Care Network has set up in the Holiday Inn, in Telegraph Way, as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history continues. Today (Tuesday) MP Steve Brine visited the hub and spoke to staff about how the facility will operate. Following the first 26 sites across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight successfully starting over the last couple of weeks, the new sites will be taking delivery of the vaccine, and starting their clinics. Dr Nigel Watson, GP and clinical lead for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Covid-19 Vaccination Programme, said: “It has been great that we have been able to get the vast majority of our GP-led sites up and running so quickly. Clinics are going really well with lots of our patients and staff saying how smoothly things have run.
Another ten GP-led services across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight will start vaccinating patients over the next couple days, as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history continues. The Westridge Centre, in Ryde, and The Bay Medical Practice, in Shanklin, will start to offer the vaccine to people within the next few days. Alison Smith, managing director of NHS Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “It is great we have been able to get the vast majority of our GP-led sites up and running so quickly. Clinics are going really well with lots of our patients and staff saying how smoothly things have run.