Duke of Cambridge praises Covid-19 vaccination centre staff

The Duke of Cambridge praised nurse Margot Smith and her team for "overcoming every challenge thrown at you"

The Duke of Cambridge has told NHS staff they are doing "brilliant" work during a visit to his local vaccination centre.

Prince William chatted to staff, volunteers and people waiting for the jab at the King's Lynn Corn Exchange, a few miles from his Norfolk home.

He asked vaccinator Debbie Rudd whether the patients were nervous.

He added: "I'd be at the front of the queue if I could, just to prove that it's OK, but I have to wait my turn."

As he made his way around the centre, the duke showed particular interest in the process of drawing up the vaccine.

The duke chatted to staff as he walked through the centre

Nurse Margot Smith showed him how she drew 0.5 millilitres of the vaccine into a vial and then transferred it into a syringe.

"How many doses are in a vial?" Prince William asked, adding: "You get through a lot of needles, I imagine."

When told Ms Smith was a school immuniser, he said: "You're probably very used to this work, and on this scale - just getting the job done."

He asked if schools are now getting behind with their own vaccination programmes, adding: "Will you have to play catch-up on that as well?

"There's nothing like a challenge.

"Honestly, you guys have overcome every challenge that's been thrown at you. Brilliant work."

On arrival, the duke made a beeline for patient Geoff Smyth, 66, from Hunstanton, who was waiting to get his jab.

Taking a seat, he asked: "Are you going to go next? I bet you just want to get it done."

He inquired how Mr Smyth had been keeping through lockdown and whether he had managed to keep himself busy.

"It's all a bit weird though, isn't it?" admitted the duke. "A bit odd."

Finally, he met volunteers Fliss and Stewart Davidson from Downham Market.

Prince William asked how many days they had been working at the centre, and added: "It's amazing how adaptable we can be when we need to be.

"It's made us reassess our priorities. When the chips are down..."

The vaccination centre opened on 1 February and has delivered thousands of jabs every week since, led by Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust.