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The Covid Vaccination Centre at Fort Regent is ready for use, the Government has announced, with January expected to see more than 7,000 vaccinations take place.
The opening of the centre in Queen's Hall follows 12 days of construction from 20 reservists in the Jersey Field Squadron, alongside Fort Regent staff and JT engineers.
It has seen the construction of six vaccination pods, which will house five vaccinators in each pod.
At its peak, the Centre will be able to vaccinate 30 people at a time. Visitors will be guided by a one-way physically distanced system, and digital infrastructure for bookings has been handled by JT.
The vaccination programme began on Sunday 13 December, with Tier 1 islanders – residents of nursing and residential homes – being vaccinated on site.
Video: The Vaccination Centre will have a one way system for people coming in and out.
Tier 1b, which will begin on Saturday 19 December, will see the nursing and residential home staff, as well as home care staff, vaccinated at the centre.
However, the Government added that the estimated over 7,000 figure will be dependent on vaccine availability.
Becky Sherrington, Head of the Vaccine Programme said: “With the majority of nursing and residential residents having received their first dose of the vaccine, we’re now ready to vaccinate the Island’s nursing and resident staff, as well as staff from care agencies.
“We’ll begin this round of vaccinations on Saturday to ensure that these staff are protected against covid-19, and can continue safely caring for the most vulnerable.”
Pictured: Care home workers and nursing staff will be the first to be vaccinated at the centre.
Ross Barnes, the programme's Operations Lead, said: “It has been a phenomenal task to plan, construct and manage a vaccine centre that will allow us to safely and efficiently vaccinate the Island.
“I’d like to thank the Jersey Field Squadron for their hard work, the staff from JT who have ensured we have the technology we need, and the Fort Regent staff who have accommodated this work."
Following an urgent recruitment call two weeks ago, nearly 300 people have applied to be part of the vaccination programme.
108 applied to be health care assistants, 170 applied to be vaccinators, and 15 applied to be clinical supervisors.
Candidates are currently being shortlisted, and those who are successful will be contacted at the end of the week. Deputy Richard Renouf said: "It is very encouraging to see so many people applying for these roles.
"I want to thank those who have worked tirelessly since the start and will continue working hard to make sure Islanders stay safe in these unprecedented times."
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