Thousands of east Londoners received their first COVID-19 jab at a special pop-up NHS Vaccination Clinic at London Stadium on Saturday.

Residents of Barking and Dagenham, City of London, Hackney, Havering, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets or Waltham Forest pre-booked and queued patiently to receive their first of vaccination jabs at the home of Premier League club West Ham United.

The event was one of a number hosted by football clubs across London on Saturday, with Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Charlton Athletic’s The Valley, and Crystal Palace’s Selhurst Park also welcoming local people aged 18 and over. Full details of who can get the vaccine are on the NHS website here.

Baroness Karren Brady, Vice-Chairman of West Ham United, was proud to see the Club play its part in the drive to vaccinate local people against coronavirus.

She said: “Getting as many people vaccinated as possible will save lives and is the best way for us to beat COVID-19.

“The football family has pulled together throughout the pandemic in support of our local communities and West Ham United is proud to continue our strong partnership with our local NHS trusts, assisting with this event as part of the national effort. This is an important step on the road to once again all of us enjoying the things we love doing together.”

Dr Jagan John, Chair of NHS North East London Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Our teams have done an amazing job working quickly to get ready to meet the tough logistical challenges of delivering the vaccinations, and we are immensely grateful for the support we have received from our local partners in organising this event, including the management and staff at the London Stadium who are offering their time and facilities to help the NHS.

“The coronavirus vaccines are safe and effective, and getting vaccinated is the best form of protection against COVID-19. When you get vaccinated, you are protecting yourself and helping to protect the whole community.”

The event formed part of the work being done by the NHS and its partners to encourage people to come forward for one of the safe, effective COVID-19 vaccines, increase vaccination uptake within all communities in north east London and ensure that no one is left behind. Vaccinations will be led by a clinical team from East London NHS Foundation Trust.

Dr Paul Gilluley, Chief Medical Office for the East London NHS Foundation Trust, said: “With the rapid spread of the coronavirus variants, it is especially important as many people are vaccinated as soon as possible.”

Graham Gilmore, CEO, London Stadium, said: “We are proud to support the brilliant work of the NHS by making the Stadium available for the vaccine rollout in this part of London on Saturday. “We are committed to helping our local community during this pandemic.”

TodayNG