Russell Group universities are working to help ramp up UK Covid vaccinations
The Russell Group has 24 unique university members and each with its own history but sharing a common belief that people and ideas are the answers to meeting global challenges.
The institutions provide world-class education and research and help in creating opportunities and influence within their region, nationally as well as internationally and their contribution and impact on social, economic and cultural sectors are huge.
An example of the group universities helping nationally is their joining efforts to vaccinate the elderly vulnerable against Covid-19 by turning campus facilities into vaccination centres.
The research and scientific departments from across the Russel Group universities have already played a key part in the UK’s fight against the virus when Oxford University researchers contribute to the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine.
As the vaccine is being rolled out, some universities support the Governments plans to set up new vaccination centres. Other universities have offered their facilities for community testing in their local areas.
The University of Nottingham is helping to the NHS not only by opening two local vaccination services but also by its staff and students helping to administer the vaccine to patients. One of the centres is based at the King’s Meadow Campus with the second Cripps Health Centre on University Park Campus.
Another institution creating a vaccination centre by converting the former Chancellors Hotel site is the University of Manchester. The further support to the local communities will be setting up three additional centres in Beswick, Chorlton and Blackley.
The University of Southampton firstly led clinical trials to help develop the vaccine and now has set up a local vaccination centre at its University Health Centre.
The University of York has been working with its City Council to offer free voluntary testing to essential workers, those who have to go to work, including teachers and pupils. The tests are available to people both with or without showing.
Meanwhile in the capital, Queen Mary University of London has provided its Arts Research Centre to vaccinate locals in Tower Hamlets. The university and the local health teams have worked together to set up the space.
