Today we completed another successful Influenza vaccination clinic. We ran out of patients just before we ran out of vaccines so no-one that arrived missed out but we have no further vaccines left. We have had a batch on backorder since last week and will publicise a clinic via the website and Facebook as soon as they are available. The suppliers have indicated this may not be for a week or two.

Over the past week we have administered approximately 500 vaccines which is some kind of record. This has been the result of an outstanding effort by all our staff. Receptionists recording names and nurses and doctors calling patients back. Jackie and Sarah Morris have been in the front line administering vaccines at the vaccine clinics while all nurses have been involved vaccinating opportunistically. Huge credit also goes to our amazing patients who have responded at short notice to website and Facebook notifications, queued safely and in good humour and been generous in their appreciation of the service.

Because there has been such a big push on vaccination we have been asked if the influenza vaccine can prevent COVID-19. The answer to that is no it cannot prevent COVID-19 but it can prevent influenza which causes a very similar but slightly less severe illness. The reason for the push on vaccines is that by preventing influenza as well as we can we will limit those severe cases of influenza that require hospital resources and so free up those resources for COVID-19 patients if needed.

A big advantage of the lockdown and social distancing is that we are interrupting the spread of the normal winter colds and ‘flu as well as COVID-19. If we do this right we still have the chance to nip COVID-19 in the bud and potentially have a record low incidence of influenza as well. Stay home, keep to your bubbles and keep your distance and we can do this.