St Thomas’ Hospital was blessed with a festive visitor this year as Santa Claus pulled up his sleigh for a Covid-19 booster vaccination and flu jab.
Santa was vaccinated by Kaydeann, a student midwife who has been working with Guy’s and St Thomas to give out Covid vaccinations since February 2021. She promised Santa she had been good all year.
Mr Claus, age unknown, from the North Pole, said: “In my job, I have to be healthy and it’s vital that I keep all the children as safe as I can. I wanted to make sure I had my COVID-19 booster and flu jabs well ahead of the big day so I can deliver all the presents and help to bring smiles to everyone after such a hard year
“If you’ve not yet had your jab, ho-ho-hop over to your nearest vaccine centre and they’ll be happy to help you.”
Dr Helene Brown, Medical Director for System Improvement and Professional Standards, and clinical lead for the London COVID-19 vaccination programme, said: “It’s fantastic that Santa took time out of his busy schedule to get his all-important booster vaccination in time for Christmas, which has been shown to give excellent protection against COVID infection.
“Thanks to the massive ongoing effort from our NHS staff and volunteers across the capital – who surely will be on Santa’s nice list this year – the NHS is making great progress in protecting Londoners against COVID before the festive period begins, with more than 13 million life-saving vaccination doses delivered so far, including 1.5 million booster jabs.
“There are over 400 COVID-19 vaccination sites across London, so I encourage anyone eligible who hasn’t yet taken up the offer of the jab to come forward as soon as possible to protect themselves and their loved ones this Christmas.”
The COVID-19 booster vaccination is available to everyone who has already had two doses of the vaccination. If you haven’t yet had your COVID-19 vaccination, you can make an appointment or drop in to centres across the country, including those at Guy’s Hospital and St Thomas’ Hospital.