First patient vaccinated at COVID vaccination clinic at Ripon Racecourse

Patients have begun receiving COVID vaccinations at North Yorkshire’s newest vaccination centre at Ripon Racecourse.

The first patient to be given the vaccine at the racecourse was 73-year-old Maureen Lambden who described the experience as “fantastic”, saying she felt “you have to do it, don’t you?” and that she was “very, very grateful” for the opportunity.

Tuesday afternoon’s vaccination clinic was staffed by doctors and nurses from local GP surgeries, Yorkshire Health Network, volunteer marshals, North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue and the racecourse’s own team – who had worked to clear the snow with expert assistance from Econ Engineering.

The first patients booked in for COVID vaccinations had been due to attend on Tuesday morning, but with wintry weather conditions forecast, clinical leaders took the decision to reschedule those appointments on the grounds of patient safety.

There is the capacity to vaccinate between 500 and 600 people at the racecourse site daily, as vaccine supplies allow.

Dr Richard Fletcher from Dr Ingram and Partners in Ripon and the Clinical Director of the Ripon and Masham Primary Care Network, said:

We’re grateful to Ripon Racecourse for stepping forward to offer their site for this, as it solves many of the problems presented by other locations. It is another significant step in increasing coverage in the region.