Stevens praises ‘turning point’ in battle against the pandemic

Sir Simon Stevens has praised the efforts of hardworking staff for making the roll out of a coronavirus vaccine possible, saying that the deployment marks a ‘decisive turning point’ in the battle against the pandemic.

The NHS in England has begun the biggest and most highly anticipated immunisation campaign in history at 50 hospital hubs, with 90-year-old Margaret Keenan becoming the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer coronavirus jab following its clinical approval.

Since the Pfizer vaccine got the green light from regulators last week, health service staff have been working around the clock to manage the huge scale logistical challenge of deploying the vaccine.

Stevens, the chief executive of NHS England, said: “Coronavirus is the greatest health challenge in NHS history, taking loved ones from us and disrupting every part of our lives. Hospitals have now cared for more than 190,000 seriously ill Covid-19 patients and have seen beds fill up again in recent weeks.

“The deployment of this vaccine marks a decisive turning point in the battle with the pandemic. NHS vaccination programmes which have successfully helped overcome tuberculosis, polio, and smallpox, now turn their focus to coronavirus. NHS staff are proud to be leading the way as the first health service in the world to begin vaccination with this Covid jab.”