• Suella visits Hampshire Research Hub, where the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Imperial College and Janssen vaccines are being trialled prior to wider roll-out.
• The Queen Alexandra Hospital – a newly announced ‘hospital hub’ – has started delivering the Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine.
• Last Tuesday, 99-year-old Michael became the first Hampshire resident to receive the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine at the Queen Alexandra Hospital.
• The UK is the first country in the world to have a clinically approved vaccine for supply.
Local MP Suella Braverman recently visited the Royal South Hampshire Hospital in Southampton, alongside fellow Hampshire MPs Royston Smith and Damian Hinds, to meet the team behind the Hampshire Research Hub.
The Hub is a fully-operational research facility where Covid vaccines are being trialled, including the Oxford/AstraZeneca, Imperial College and Janssen vaccines. Led by Professor Saul Faust, the team is building up the data necessary before approval and wider roll-out.
The NHS Covid-19 vaccine Research Registry was created to help people volunteer for vaccine trials, and the response from local residents has been extraordinary. As of 7th December, 1,375 people living in the Wessex region (which covers Dorset, Hampshire, south Wiltshire and the Isle of Wight) have taken part in five Covid19 vaccine trials thus far.
Suella’s visit to the Hampshire Research Hub coincided with a significant breakthrough in our fight against Covid-19. From last Tuesday, the Queen Alexandra Hospital – a newly announced ‘hospital hub’ and one of fifty hubs nationwide – has started delivering the Pfizer/BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine, which the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency recently approved. This vaccine is shown to offer up to 95% efficacy and is very safe and highly effective.
People aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and frontline NHS colleagues, are set to receive the vaccine in coming weeks, while 99-year-old Michael became the first Hampshire resident to receive the vaccine last Tuesday. All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later. The NHS will contact each individual when it is the right time to come forward, so residents are encouraged to not seek out a vaccine before then.
The clinic itself is based on the QA Hospital site and teams at the Trust have been working round the clock to ensure everything from the clinical space to appointment systems, workforce vaccinators and suitable resources are available.
While the QA Hospital is the first hospital hub site announced for the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area, more sites will be added in the coming weeks and months.
Nationally, we are set to receive 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine. To aid the success of the vaccination programme it is vital everyone continues to play their part and abide by the necessary restrictions in their area so we can further suppress the virus and allow the NHS to do its work without being overwhelmed.
Commenting Suella Braverman Said:
“The scientists at the Hampshire Research Hub are doing an incredible job in furthering our understanding of Covid-19 and how to fight it. An enormous thank you goes to the many Fareham residents who have so far taken part in these clinical trials - you are part of the 100,000- strong army of volunteers across the country who are playing a vital role in helping us beat Covid.
While our resolve must not slacken, the approval and subsequent roll-out of the biggest immunisation campaign in history is a momentous achievement in our fight against this virus. Thank you to the NHS, MHRA and all scientists involved in getting us to this crucial stage.”
