Bexhill’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout to begin next week

Patients at the Bexhill Primary Care Network – a collaboration of Collington, Little Common and Old Town, Pebsham and Sea Road and Sidley and Albert Road medical practices – will be receiving their first doses from December 28.

The Bexhill Primary Care Network said its practice team will be calling eligible patients this week. They will then have their Covid vaccine clinic on December 29 and December 30.

Patients will be called in order of priority, with care home residents and those over the age of 80 receiving the vaccine first.

With almost 5,000 residents over the age of 80 in Bexhill, the first stage of vaccines is expected to take several weeks to complete.

The care network also said it is reliant on the vaccine delivery schedule from the government.

Residents were reminded to remain patient and they should not call the surgeries about they vaccine. They were told they would be called or written to as soon as they were next in line.

Patients attending their vaccine clinic have been asked to wear a face covering, to social distance at all times, not to arrive early, and to come alone if possible. Patients with Covid symptoms have been asked not to attend.

Bexhill Primary Care said: “This is new to all of us and we are dealing with a very delicate vaccine and have to handle with care. There may be delays to your appointment time, especially when we are transporting the vaccine to the clinic rooms. The staff are working hard to get this rolled out as smoothly as possible.

“We thank you very much for your support, we look forward to getting all patients who want the vaccine completed as soon as we are able to.”

The vaccine rollout comes at a crucial time in Rother. In the past seven days, there have been 531 cases at a rate of 552.7 per 100,000 people.

Only Hastings – who recorded 746 cases at a rate of 805.1 per 100,000 people – had a higher rate of infection in Sussex this week.

The increased rate of infections in Hastings and Rother have seen both areas placed into the toughest Tier 4 restrictions.