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December 10, 2020MANCHESTER, England (CNS) -- The curial offices of a Catholic diocese in England are being used as a makeshift hub to deliver the vaccine against the coronavirus.
The Diocese of Plymouth, in the southwest of the country, has agreed to let the National Health Service use its premises as a center to inject about 200 people a day against COVID-19 with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
In a Dec. 16 statement, Bishop Mark O'Toole of Plymouth said: "This is an extension of the work that has been carried out in our churches during this pandemic, in reaching out, in the name of Jesus Our Lord, to our neighbors and to ensure their wellbeing. This next step with the vaccine is a sign of hope for us all."
The NHS began to share the offices in Ashburton, northeast of Plymouth, Dec. 16. It will occupy them until at least April.
Doctors from at least nine family practices will be involved in administering injections there as part of a national rollout of the vaccine. Injections have been given from doctors' offices and makeshift hubs such as racecourses and soccer stadiums.
Almost half of England's population of nearly 60 million people are categorized as "vulnerable," and they will receive the vaccine first. The vaccination program is expected to run until the end of the summer.
