Covid vaccine: no wastage, no trouble at Riverside Centre

With a daily capacity of around 500, the number of people coming through the door varies from day to day, as does the time it takes to vaccinate them.

An in-depth assessment is carried out by a registered practitioner, to make sure each person is fit, able, and the right person for the right vaccine.

"That's a key clinical bit of work," said Sarah Stringer, operational lead at the centre.

"We then get informed consent. And after that, you come into the vaccine bay, your name and consent is quickly checked again, then you're vaccinated.

"It could be as fast as three minutes, or it could be a lot longer. If someone's circumstances are quite complex, it can take a while.

"The most important thing is it's high quality and clinically safe."

Volunteer, Stephen Hargreaves, 67. He said: "The organisation has been excellent. My wife, who is a nurse at the hospital, told me to volunteer. I normally volunteer at a storeroom in Cowes. I retired last year and thought it was a good idea — it r

Asked what they do when someone panics, Sarah said: "What we have is, a lot of people who come in haven't been out.

"They've suddenly left their homes and they're surrounded by all these people in a noisy environment, and that can be quite intimidating.

"But our fabulous volunteers, our first point of call ­— their senses are honed to pick up on these things.

"When we can see someone is anxious, we make sure we put them with someone who can give them the time.

"We can be a bit bespoke to the individual. Just that bit of extra time really helps.

"People are incredibly patient and incredibly grateful because they want the vaccine.

"We don't tend to get much of a backlog. I've worked in clinics for years and you almost expect it, but it tends to flow really well.

Volunteer, Sandra Aldridge, 66. She said: "It's been absolutely amazing. I live by myself and the idea of coming out and being with other people has been brilliant. It was really nice to be able to do something and get to meet other people."

"The queue just keeps moving. Generally, people are so forgiving, kind and patient with us.

"When it was bitterly cold, we opened up one of the internal rooms. The key is to respond ­— to be dynamic."

Asked if vaccine doses have been wasted when people have failed to turn up, Sarah said: "We haven't had a single dose of the vaccine wasted yet. We're really careful and we start counting early on.

"It's such a precious commodity that we don't want to waste.

"We've not had many people refuse the vaccine. We've had to turn a few away, but only ever for clinical reasons.

Riverside Vaccination Centre.

"A couple have made queries about the Astrazeneca because of the news, but we've not had anybody request a different vaccine.

"We're absolutely clear this is the vaccine we're giving. There isn't a choice because it's the only one we have.

"We've not had any supply chain issues either. It's been like a smooth, well oiled machine. We've never been worried about running out.

"We are sticking to the five-year age groups. The Island is doing well, but we certainly haven't been asked to slow up to enable an equity across the county.

Riverside Vaccination Centre.

"We've been told it's the over 65s ­— we've got about 21,000 on the Island ­— and we're very busy.

"The volunteers have been amazing, we couldn't do without them. And our staff, they've come from every walk of life. We've got military, firefighters, nurses, dentists, people who have just been trained.

"It's a massive mish-mash and they are all fantastic. We're inundated with people saying they'll come and work. It's a real team effort."

People who had received their vaccines were unanimous in their praise, highlighting the friendliness of the staff and smoothness of the operation.

Riverside Vaccination Centre.

A freshly vaccinated Charles Sawyer, 66, said: "I can't think of anything wrong with the whole set-up.

"Very straightforward, super clean, and everyone is doing what they're supposed to be doing."

Carol Bernasconi, 66, said: "It's all done extremely well. I'm very impressed.

"Anyone scared of getting it should be far more worried about getting Covid than the jab. It's so quick and it doesn't even hurt."

Carol Bernasconi, 66, received her vaccine on Wednesday.

Mary Richards, contacting the County Press, said: "I received my vaccination and was greeted by volunteers outside the centre who were getting rained upon, but were still happy and smiling.

"These lovely people deserve recognition for their work in keeping us all safe.

"They are all a credit to the NHS and to themselves in these worrying times."

Stephen Hoyle, contacting the County Press, said: "I and my neighbour from Chillerton would like to express our appreciation of the extreme professionalism, excellent organisation and positive, cheerful attitudes of all the staff and volunteers down at the centre on Sunday and Tuesday."

Di Partridge, contacting the County Press, said: "My husband and I were lucky enough to have our Covid-19 vaccine at the Riverside Centre at the weekend.

"From the time we arrived at the car park through to having our vaccine, everything went smoothly.

"We would like to thank everyone involved ­— absolutely brilliant."