A GP who has been helping to administer the coronavirus vaccine in Keswick has praised volunteers for providing overwhelming support.
Dr Tim Hooper, one of several GPs based at Castlehead Medical Centre, said: “We only asked once and everyone came forward.
“We’ve had over 50 volunteers helping us throughout.”
Doctors at the centre jabbed thousands of people on special days from Friday to Sunday. He said AstraZeneca doses had to be used within hours after being collected from Wigton Hospital and brought back.
“We had volunteers who went out during the height of winter in snow bringing vaccines back. We were also very reliant on marshals at the entrance to the surgery and to help with the queue of people,” he said.
Dr Hooper says the surgery distributed 400 to 500 vaccines in each five to six-hour session.
“We’ve also had St John Ambulance volunteers who supported nurses on home visits and people delivering prescriptions under the street warden scheme. It is quite humbling how many people have come and helped out.
“The volunteers helped create such a welcoming atmosphere and that made it easier for us doing the vaccines. It means patients have arrived relaxed and upbeat, which is a big help when you are doing injections.”
