OLDER patients from across the Forest have received the first doses of the Covid-19 vaccine in the district.

Healthcare staff worked until Christmas Eve to administer the vaccine to 975 patients who are all 80 or older.

They were chosen at random from the patient lists of the 11 GP surgeries in the Forest who have come together to develop a vaccination programme.

The first 100 patients were vaccinated last Monday (December 21) at the central clinic for the Forest in the former Dockham Road surgery in Cinderford.

The programme will resume in the first week of January with the help of 40 former nurses and doctors who have volunteered to assist.

Mitcheldean GP and one of the Forest’s two clinical directors – along with Dr Sophia Sandford of Brunston Surgery in Coleford – said: “The 11 surgeries in the Forest of Dean have come together in order to sort out the service.

“We’ve picked a site which fortunately for us is an empty health centre, which is perfect.

“The challenge is doing this so quickly because this is the biggest vaccination programme in history, getting everything together to very tight timescales while providing a safe, first class service to people.

“We started (on Monday) with 100 people to understand the flows and it is going very well.

“Once we have done all the over-80s we can move onto other age groups.”

Among those who were vaccinated this week was 85-year-old Bill Waddell of Mitcheldean who is a volunteer with the National Federation of the Blind.

He said: “This is one of the best Christmas presents out and it was a surprise, I didn’t expect to get it until after Christmas.

“I would recommend everyone gets it and gets it as soon as possible and not have any doubts.

“I hope eveyone can get it done as soon as possible and the Forest will. be protected as much as possible.”

Health service staff have worked closely with Cinderford RFC, Cinderford Co-op and the local police and fire brigade to set up the centre.

Patients will be contacted when they are due to have the vaccine and are requested not to contact their surgery about it.