The first such large scale centre to be set up by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, the Kassam Stadium, home to the city’s League One football side, will be open to the public by invite-only, seven days a week, from 8am to 8pm, as part of the national effort to vaccinate against COVID-19.
Prof. Pollard said:
‘To see a vaccination centre in Oxford delivering the vaccine that was developed in the city is a great moment. So much hard work has gone into getting to this stage from the researchers developing the vaccine and the Oxford Health team making all the arrangements to set up and run an efficient vaccination centre. Many volunteers from Oxfordshire took part in the clinical trials and it is a huge credit to their commitment that we can benefit from this vaccine today.
‘We anticipate that the vaccination of as many people as possible as soon as possible will start to have a big impact on hospitalisations and is something everyone has been hoping for. However, vaccination is only one part of the story - people should continue to follow public health measures, such as observing the rules of lockdown, social distancing, wearing masks and washing their hands until we get the virus back under control.’