Covid-19: Jersey vaccination centre at Fort Regent

Jersey is likely to receive vaccines from Pfeizer and AstraZeneca, once they are approved as safe

Fort Regent will be used as a Covid-19 vaccination centre to administer Jersey's vaccine programme, the Government of Jersey has announced.

The leisure centre will be a central hub for islanders apart from care home residents and front-line medical staff.

Care home residents will be the first to be offered the vaccine, which will be administered in the homes via a mobile team.

The initial phase will also be given to all care workers, through Fort Regent.

The order of those to receive a vaccine will be separated into five tiers:

• Tier one - Care home residents and staff, including domestic care workers

• Tier two - Those over 80 years old, front-line health workers (who will receive the vaccine in hospital) and other health staff

• Tier three - People aged between 65 and 79 and anyone with health conditions making them high risk

• Tier four - People aged 50-64

• Tier five - The remaining population, ages to be confirmed

Senior nurse Rebecca Sherrington, who is heading up Jersey's coronavirus vaccine programme, assured islanders the large, open space of the centre will mean the vaccine can be administered safely.

It will be given by registered practitioners including GPs, nurses, paramedics and dentists, who will be provided with training.

Everyone attending Fort Regent will be required to wear a mask and those who are ill will be told not to come, she said.

Mrs Sherrington confirmed Jersey would receive a small number of doses based on the same proportion of population as Guernsey, Isle of Man and four UK nations, which should be sufficient to cover tier one.

'Certain it's safe'

There is no set date for the roll out of the programme, but the government is preparing for it to begin by the end of December.

However, this is not definitive as the vaccine's release is subject to safety certification.

Deputy medical officer of health Dr Ivan Muscat assured islanders it will be approved by regulators and safety is the government's highest priority.

He said: "They are not going to release any vaccine unless they are absolutely certain it is safe."

The government confirmed Jersey was likely to receive a combination of the Pfeizer and AstraZeneca vaccines, as part of the broader UK order.