Monday 11th January saw day two of the COVID-19 vaccination programme in Gibraltar. Today, in addition to the Elderly Residential Services staff and residents’ vaccination programme and the GHA and Care Agency staff programme, both of which started yesterday, the public vaccination centre in the old Primary Care Centre in Casemates Square opened its doors for the first time.

Once again GHA staff from the pharmacy department were on duty at 04:30 this morning to prepare the vaccine to leave under RGP escort to today’s vaccination sites.

The first Gibraltarian to be vaccinated through the public vaccination centre this morning was Mr Albert Beiso who turned 100 last year. Mr Beiso received his vaccine from Staff Nurse Lorena Garcia. Over the course of the day, the centre vaccinated 581 people, all of who were in the over 70 year old age group.

The Elderly Residential Services continued their vaccination programme by injecting people from both Calpe and Cochrane wards at St Bernard’s Hospital with the vaccine as well as eligible residents from Mount Alvernia.

As the Covid-19 vaccine cannot be given to anyone within 28 days of them testing positive for the virus that causes COVID, unfortunately not all Mount Alvernia residents could receive their vaccine today. Arrangements have been made however to return to vaccinate more residents as soon as possible. 68 ERS residents were vaccinated today together with 40 members of ERS care or healthcare staff.
At St Bernard’s Hospital the GHA and Care staff vaccination programme continued with 336 members of staff being vaccinated today.

In total, 1025 people in Gibraltar received their COVID-19 vaccine today, giving a cumulative total to date of 1445 people who have now received their vaccines in Gibraltar, all within just two days of the vaccine arriving here from the UK.

Minister for Health and Care, the Hon Samantha Sacramento MP said “It was a great privilege for me to visit the public vaccination centre this morning to officially open the centre and to meet the truly inspirational people who came for their vaccines. I would like to thank everyone involved in this amazing endeavour, of whom there were approximately 50 staff and volunteers running this one vaccination centre alone. Every dose of vaccine that goes into someone’s arm is one more person that is now on the way towards immunity from this virus. Lives are being saved by this mass vaccination programme in Gibraltar.”

ENDS