This afternoon I visited Tracey and Dr Kormal Raj at their SafeSpace Pop-Up Vaccination Clinic on Normanton Road, one of two of these centres set up specifically for homeless individuals in Derby, established after successful pilots earlier this year.
I have been closely following efforts to ensure hard to reach communities in Derby are able to receive the vaccination and it was so brilliant to hear that around 80% of homeless people in Derby have received the vaccination.
I have been and still am really keen to help with the vaccination drive in any way I can, including volunteering at the Derby Arena Vaccination Centre and having regular meetings with Dr Drew Smith who manages the staff and volunteers there, volunteering in the #Janssen Vaccine trials and visiting Royal Derby Hospital (UHDB) where second doses were being provided to patients and staff.
As Dr Raj so rightly said while I was at the centre, vaccinating the homeless and other hard to reach groups is absolutely essential in our continued efforts to ensure that the highest possible percentage of the population is as protected from the Coronavirus as we can be; no group should be left behind.
It was tremendous to hear the positive efforts towards helping to protect vulnerable groups within the city and they really are making such a profound difference.
I want to thank them, together with teams at vaccination sites across our great city, for their continued hard-work and dedication that has made Derby’s remarkable vaccination success possible.
