Behind the scenes of the Covid vaccine rollout, which has seen more than half of UK adults have two doses within six months of the first ever jab, are ordinary people doing extraordinary things. These are some of their stories.
It's just over six months since Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive a Covid vaccine outside of clinical trials. It's also around six months since Basingstoke's GP surgeries took over the Hampshire Court Hotel and started administering the first jabs in the town.
Today, the Hampshire Court Hotel prepares to administer its final doses, as it closes and the rollout moves fully to Jameson House, across the road in Lutyens Close.
In the last half a year, 150,000 doses have been administered by the primary care-run facilities, many of which have been supported by a monumental team including dozens of volunteers. People who had been furloughed as a result of the pandemic have decided to take online training courses to become vaccinators, or to help out at reception or marshalling in the car park.
Among the newly-qualified vaccinators is Julie Grange, a member of British Airways cabin crew for the last 27 years who was furloughed from her job in April 2020. She decided that she wanted to volunteer her time "to give something back", and started at the twin clinics in April.
She told The Gazette: "I knew they were a bit short of staff. I just thought I would come in and then do my bit."
As part of the national appeal for vaccinators, Julie, already first-aid trained, decided to apply and go through the online training, after her sister-in-law did the same. "Some of it goes in without training, thanks to the medical stuff with BA."
When The Gazette visited Jameson House on Thursday, the 53-year-old was teamed up with Foreign Office nurse Steph Barker, working through a 'pod' of six patients.
They would work together, one preparing the vaccine whilst the other goes through the identification checks and to ensure the vaccine they have is suitable for the patient.
Once each patient has the jab, they must sit there for 15 minutes, to ensure there is no adverse reaction. A time is written on a whiteboard and once they leave, a 'runner' comes over to wipe down the chair before the next person is sent in.
Meanwhile, Julie and Steph are already vaccinating the person in the adjacent chair - separated by clear perspex screens - and continue to work around their pod as more patients come in.
Steph, from Highclere, described it as an "incredible experience", and said the procedure was "so effective".
READ ALSO: Basingstoke's vaccine centres record massive milestones on June 12
The 56-year-old works for Healix International, but her day job would see her responding to the healthcare requirements of people based at the UK's embassies and high commissions across the world. She also helps repatriate Brits that fall ill abroad, but decided she wanted to play a part on the vaccine rollout's frontline.
"I originally had applied to do it through NHS Professionals," she said. "Then nothing was happening so I approached Bramblys Grange and within a weekend I got all the paperwork sorted.
"I had heard that they were a fantastic team, great clinical leads."
Each of the vaccination sites also has a clinical lead - a GP that can step in and offer medical advice if required. Fulfilling that role at the Hampshire Court Hotel on Thursday was Keith Ollerhead, a doctor who retired from Chineham Medical Centre in November 2018.
But once the pandemic hit, Keith could not just sit idly by. In Easter 2020, he had started working for the 111 Covid helpline, offering medical advice to those struggling with symptoms of the disease.
READ ALSO: All adults in North Hampshire can now book their first Covid vaccine
And from New Year's Day 2021, he decided to come out of retirement and back to the front line of the vaccine rollout.
"When it became clear that there was going to be a local vaccine site I was keen to chip in and play my part," he explained. "I preferred the idea of being face to face with people."
Should any of the vaccinators pick up anything in their initial consultation that causes them concern, they can turn to Keith for advice. This could be anything from the patient feeling anxious themselves, to pregnancy or a history of anaphylaxis.
Positioned next to what is, in another life, the hotel's bar, the surface is completely covered in different policy documents and information sheets for patients, meaning that Keith can quickly come to a decision and relay that to the patient.
"We have the luxury of being able to work at scale. If someone is feeling unwell, rather than the whole site grinding to a halt, we are able to take that person to a side room and patients can continue to get vaccinated.
READ ALSO: What you can expect from Jameson House vaccination centre
"We have been able to make the best use of the vaccine as it became available. We have minimised wastage and keep people avoiding queuing and keeping waiting times at a minimum.
"It is having that big scale to be able to cope with that."
And a big scale it is; since December 2020, between the Hampshire Court and Jameson House, more than 150,000 doses have been administered.
It has played an important role in the unprecedented vaccine rollout, and contributed to almost 75 per cent of adults in Basingstoke and Deane having their first jab, as of June 11.
Meanwhile, more than half of adults in the borough are now fully vaccinated.
Dr Tim Cooper, the GP lead at the vaccination centre, has called the vaccine rollout in Basingstoke "the best example of how we have worked together as a community to protect each other".
From the clinical staff to volunteer vaccinators, and marshals to logistics and even the kind-hearted people donating cakes and other goodies to the team, the exceptional efforts of all involved at this monumental time will go down in Basingstoke's history.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel