February 3, 2021 1.38 pm This story is over 50 months old

Most over 65s in Lincolnshire care homes now COVID vaccinated

They’re now awaiting the second dose
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

All Lincolnshire care home residents over the age of 65 have now been offered the first dose of the coronavirus vaccination.

All over 65s in 202 Lincolnshire care homes that are eligible were offered their first dose and everyone who accepted is believed to have now been vaccinated.

Care home residents will receive their second dose at their care home.

This means the county has met the first of the national target dates in the vaccination programme and has protected the highest percentage of its care home residents across the Midlands region.

As is also the case nationally, there may be some care home residents and staff that are yet to receive the vaccination due to prohibiting factors such as localised outbreaks.

The news come the day after jabs were given at the opening of the county’s second largest coronavirus vaccination centre at Lincolnshire Showground on Tuesday, February 2.

Lincolnshire GP Dr Sunil Hindocha said: “This is a magnificent achievement by our primary care teams throughout Lincolnshire, working alongside Lincolnshire County Council, our social care and voluntary sector colleagues and many more to protect the most vulnerable in the county.

“We hope Lincolnshire’s public will join us in extending a huge thank you to everyone who has worked so hard to give us such a great start, as we now focus on completing the vaccination of all Lincolnshire’s current priority groups.”

Melanie Weatherley MBE, Chair of the Lincolnshire Care Association, said: “We are particularly proud that in Lincolnshire we have achieved the first target within the covid-19 vaccination programme.

“The objective of reaching each and every one of our 202 eligible care homes was particularly challenging in the county.

“We have 40% more care homes to visit than some of our neighbouring counties, and they are located across an area than covers 40% of the East Midlands alone, so this is a significant milestone for the people of Lincolnshire, and one that is so important to the care home staff and residents that we have visited to protect.”