Eastbourne children meet with superheroes to receive covid vaccine

The team at Sovereign Harbour Community Centre vaccination service have been going the extra mile to make it as easy as possible for families to give their children ‘life-saving’ vaccinations.

As part of the national programme to roll out jabs for five to 11-year-olds who are at risk, The Crumbles vaccination service in Eastbourne is holding dedicated sessions by appointment for children and their families to come and get vaccinated alongside the chance to see some of their favourite superheroes.

The team, run by South Downs Health and Care GP Federation, have put lots of thought into how to make the centre a welcoming place for children to put them at ease.

The staff decided to dress up and decorate the centre with balloons, bubbles and pictures of their favourite Disney characters.

Jane, who is a vaccinator and nurse at the centre and has undergone special training to vaccinate young children, said, “We’ve had some children come in dressed as batman today, and we have things around that can help them relate to this like models and posters, so it makes it less clinical and more friendly which helps to put the children at ease.

“They can also choose a gift and sticker once they’ve had their jab.”

One parent said, “I was really nervous about bringing my son today because he is autistic and isn’t great with new people. But the environment they have made here with the superheroes has just made it so much easier.”

Dr Sarah Ali, one of the lead GPs at the service, said, “We’re targeting a vulnerable group of five to 11-year-olds who may be more at risk.

“If they caught covid they might not be able to mount as strong a response as healthy children so it’s really important that they get vaccinated.

“We are also looking at the wider picture to try and prevent transmission as much as possible.”

At the end of January, the vaccination programme began to roll out the covid jab to children aged between five and 11 who are most at risk of covid or who are a household contact of someone who is immunosuppressed.

In Sussex, 6,268 eligible children have been identified in these groups and vaccination teams are currently contacting families and arranging their appointments at specific clinics for this age group.

The Sussex vaccination programme is urging parents to book their child in for their vaccine as soon as they are invited to help get them the protection they need.

Parents and carers should wait for the NHS to contact them for when it is their child’s turn to get the vaccine.

Read this:

Thousands of covid vaccine appointments available for Eastbourne teenagers

Stealth Omicron: Scientists discover case of covid strain in Eastbourne as it spreads across country

Eastbourne residents urged to get booster covid vaccine