Mayor thanks the team at Rugby's vaccination centre

Cllr Bill Lewis visited the vaccination centre on Good Friday to receive his second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.

And he took the opportunity to officially pass on the borough's gratitude to the team who have run the vaccination centre at Locke House on Woodside Park since it first opened its doors in December.

Cllr Lewis presented centre manager Gita Natarajan with a 'thank you' card for the team, which includes more than 120 volunteers.

The card read: "To all involved with the Covid-19 vaccinations at Locke House. As Mayor and First Citizen of Rugby, I thank you for your professionalism, efficiency and friendliness in the essential work you do."

Figures published today (Thursday 8 April) by NHS England confirmed 50,767 of the borough's residents have now received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Residents receive a vaccine through two doses, with the second jab given between three to 12 weeks after the first.

Your GP makes contact to arrange the appointment to receive the vaccine.

Residents may receive a letter from the NHS offering the opportunity to attend the large vaccination centre at Stoneleigh's National Agriculture and Exhibition Centre (NAEC), or one of the other vaccination centres operating across the country, but can still choose to wait to be contacted by a GP.

Cllr Lewis said: "The dedication of the team at Locke House has enabled a rapid rollout of Covid-19 vaccines to residents, and I was delighted to have the opportunity to place on record the gratitude of the whole borough for the team's amazing work.

"Now we're on the road out of lockdown restrictions, it's vital we all support the vaccination programme and take the chance to protect ourselves from this virus.

"I'd urge any resident who has questions about the vaccines to speak to their GP when contacted. 

"Currently, more than 16 million people around the world receive a dose of the vaccine every day, with the total number of doses administered worldwide now more than 700 million.

"The vaccines give us real hope of reuniting with family and friends, and returning to the lives we enjoyed before the pandemic, so I'd urge everyone to get a jab when offered one. 

"By doing so, we can all look forward to brighter days ahead."

Following vaccination, residents must still follow Government guidance on lockdown restrictions to help protect both themselves and others.

More information on the vaccination programme can be found on the NHS website.