Two new Covid-19 NHS vaccination centres will open at the University of Worcester from early September.
The University has been working in partnership with NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group and SW Healthcare to be able to offer the vaccine to students and the local community. It is understood that Worcester is one of the first universities to announce such plans.
There will be two sites at the University offering vaccines. The first to open will be a ‘pop-up’ centre for students located at the University’s St John’s Campus, where the University’s main Halls of Residence are located. It will be open to students from early September.
Following this, another centre will open at the former Worcester Royal Infirmary, which now serves as the City Campus on Castle Street, Worcester. This centre will offer vaccines to both students and local residents.
The University’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive, Professor David Green CBE DL, said: “We are delighted to be working with our NHS partners to increase the number of young people who are vaccinated and to help in the vaccine campaign to protect our local residents. Most of our returning students, who have been such excellent volunteers and so many of whom have already been working on the NHS frontline, are already vaccinated. But this may not apply to some of our new students and to many young people in the City, so we are delighted to be able to provide this additional opportunity to make it really easy and straightforward to become vaccinated.”
Dr Tim Jones, the University’s Acting Pro Vice Chancellor Students, added: “Throughout the entire pandemic, the University of Worcester has worked particularly closely with our Public Health and NHS colleagues in Worcestershire. Together with excellent self-discipline from our students this has enabled the University to be a Covid cold spot throughout the pandemic, while we had many more in-person classes than the vast majority of universities and were the first university in the UK to have an in-person graduation ceremony for the graduates of 2020 and their guests – without a single extra case of Covid-19 transmission detected. We are determined to continue offering a first-class education in person whenever possible and 100% vaccination is our aim.”
Dr Jones continued: “Working with NHS colleagues, we were one of the first to open an on-campus testing facility, which was open to students, staff and the wider community, and we have been very proactive in encouraging students and staff to do all they can to minimise transmission through practical measures and information.
“We believe that encouraging as many people as possible to get vaccinated is key to helping the nation recover from this pandemic and to keep as many people as possible safe, which is why we are committed to doing all we can to help the national vaccine campaign.”
Simon Trickett, Chief Executive Officer for NHS Herefordshire and Worcestershire CCG, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with the University of Worcester to offer the Covid-19 vaccine to students and to be able to offer an additional vaccination site for the local community.
“This is another important step in the roll-out of the vaccination programme across Worcestershire and the fact that we are able to offer students a convenient location for them to take up the vaccine will enable our continued success in ensuring our population are fully vaccinated as we head into the winter period.”
Dr Gemma Moore, GP Partner at Ombersley Medical Centre and Clinical Lead at SW Healthcare, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the University of Worcester to open these two new centres, which we hope will make it easier for students—as well as our wider local community—to get themselves fully vaccinated.
“Coronavirus affects people of all ages, from all walks of life, so vaccination really is essential—and by opening these two new centres with the University of Worcester, we hope we’ll be able to support both new and returning students in staying protected against Covid-19.”
The initiative is being supported by Worcester Students’ Union.
“Worcester Students’ Union fully supports the University in promoting the ongoing vaccination programme and would encourage both new and returning students who are able to do so, to take advantage of the opportunity to become vaccinated at their earliest possible convenience,” said President, Liam Lees. “We support the University’s work to create an on-campus vaccination centre and will encourage students to access this facility where possible. As we have done throughout the pandemic, we will continue to work with the University to urge students and staff members to test themselves regularly and follow all relevant government guidelines.
“Throughout the pandemic, both the University and the Students’ Union have put in place rigorous safety measures to keep students safe, while also allowing them to have best university experience possible. We will continue to do everything we can to support students during the upcoming academic year.”