Surgery turns away people asking for 'spare' Covid vaccines
Fakenham medical practice had to turn away a number of people after they were asking for ‘spare’ coronavirus vaccines on January 16. - Credit: Google Maps
A Norfolk medical practice has pleaded for people to wait for their appointment after staff had to turn people away who wanted a "spare" Covid vaccine slot.
Fakenham Medical Practice had to turn away a number of people on January 16.
The practice on Trinity Road published two Facebook statuses in just over three hours, asking people to stay away unless they had an appointment for the vaccine.
They were also having to deal with the severe weather over the weekend, which saw elderly people wrapped in foil blankets while waiting for their turn in the surgery.
The waiting area also had a high volume of people, as they battled the weather and ended up arriving at the surgery early.
The surgery reminded people that a trip to the surgery without an appointment was a wasted journey and they were putting their lives at risk by coming out in the bad weather.
It added they were risking the health of people who may have to help them should they get into difficulty and taking up valuable parking spaces.
The surgery, which was selected for the first wave of early sites for Norfolk with regard to administering the Covid vaccine produced by Pfizer BioNtech. They have been vaccinating people since December 14. - Credit: Google Maps
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The surgery, which was selected for the first wave of early sites in Norfolk for administering the Covid vaccine produced by Pfizer BioNtech, has been vaccinating people since December 14.
Sarah Buchan, chief executive officer of the practice, said: “The Covid-19 vaccination programme in the Fakenham area is going well and we would like to thank our patients for their understanding and support and for attending their booked appointments.
“This is the biggest vaccination programme in the history of the NHS and our teams have been working hard to ensure that we vaccinate those who are most vulnerable in our community.
“We would like to take this opportunity to remind people not to attend the surgery without an appointment.
“If you have an appointment, please arrive on time (no more than five minutes before your appointment). This is very important so that social distancing can be maintained.
“If you are eligible for a vaccine and are yet to hear from us, please don’t worry, we will be in touch as soon as it’s your turn.”
