ALMOST all people aged 80 and above have now had their first Covid vaccination in the Dursley and Wotton area, and GPs hope to have given the jab to all of the over 50s by the end of February.

This achievement puts the Berkeley Vale Primary Care Network, which covers Dursley, Cam, Berkeley and Wotton-under-Edge, at the forefront of the vaccine rollout in the country.

Nationally, 40 per cent of over 80s have had the first vaccine, whereas Berkeley Vale is close to giving the jab to 100 per cent of those over 80 in the area.

Dr Simon Opher, lead GP at the community vaccination centre at Vale Community Hospital in Dursley, said: “We have made great progress with vaccinating our older and most vulnerable patients in Berkeley Vale.

“Almost all of those aged over 80, including care home residents, have now received the vaccine and this week we are working to vaccinate the next age cohort of eligible people as well as those who are housebound.”

The Berkeley Vale Primary Care Network covers Dursley, Cam, Berkeley and Wotton-under-Edge.

Dr Tom Yerburgh, who is part of the vaccination unit at the Vale Hospital, said that the team were on schedule to have vaccinated the patients in the Berkeley Vale area down to the 50 and over age range by the end of February if not sooner, depending on vaccine supply.

He said: “We are on schedule to have vaccinated the patients in the Berkeley Vale area down to that age range by the end of February if not sooner.

“However that totally depends on NHS England and whether we are able to get the supply of required vaccinations. We are hopeful that we can but sadly that is the one thing that is not in our control.”

Dr Opher highlighted the importance of volunteers in achieving such a high number of vaccinations.

He said: “We have used over 600 hours of volunteer time in Berkeley Vale alone and medical staff are incredibly grateful for these unpaid

sessions, often in bad weather, without this support, vaccinations would not have been possible.”

However, this achievement comes as coronavirus cases in the county continue to rise.

The number of recorded coronavirus cases in Gloucestershire increased by 243 between Monday and Tuesday this week, official figures

show.

Public Health England figures show that 16,454 people had been confirmed as testing positive for Covid-19 by 9am on Tuesday in Gloucestershire, up from 16,211 the same time on Monday.

But the rate of infection in Gloucestershire is far lower than the England average of 4,881. The county’s rate now stands at 2,583 cases per 100,000 people.

The roll out of vaccinations across the region continues, with Ashton Gate in Bristol unveiled on Monday as one of seven super-vaccination centres in the UK.

Prime minister Boris Johnson attended the launch at the stadium, which is home to Bristol City FC and Bristol Bears, and has previously been used as a Covid-testing centre.