After a hugely successful eight months of operation, Dorset’s large vaccination centre in Bournemouth closed its doors last Wednesday.
The Purbeck Hall of the Bournemouth International Centre was the home of the Dorset HealthCare vaccination centre since January, playing a key role in the country-wide vaccination program to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Now the centre has closed it’s doors as of Wednesday 15 September after giving out more than 124,000 jabs to the public and reducing the health risk of those in Dorset.
The centre was run by 600 staff and more than 1,000 Community Action Network volunteers to provide vaccinations of both Pfizer and AstraZeneca to everyone once the program started, beginning with the over-80s and those who were at most risk before slowly working downwards to the recent age groups of 16-17 year olds who have less risk from the virus.
The centre also provided dedicated clinics for ethnic minority groups and outreach services for homeless people, all contributing to making a positive difference in the local area and to help everyone move past the hard times.
Anna Chainey, COVID Services Manager for Dorset HealthCare, said: “I’m so proud of the team that’s been delivering this fantastic service – everyone has worked so well together, learning from experience and constantly improving.
A new vaccination centre is now being created in the currently unused Meyrick Ward at Dorset HealthCare’s King’s Park site in Boscombe and is due to open later this month. This is hoped to work well alongside GPs and community pharmacies to provide an increased range of options for vaccinations over the coming months.