A van offering free vaccinations visited Cardiff City Stadium as uptake rates fall
FOOTBALL fans were offered free flu and Covid jabs at a Cardiff City game as part of a bid to improve falling vaccination rates.
The scheme, a joint effort between Cardiff City, Cardiff and Vale Health Board and St John’s Wales comes as vaccine uptake in Wales continues to fall.
There are hopes that the results of the pilot will encourage Cardiff and Vale Health Board to repeat the scheme, in a bid to drive up vaccine uptake in the area.
Since 2020/21, the number of flu vaccinations received in Wales has dropped by more than 17%, meaning that roughly 190,000 fewer people are receiving flu jabs than in 2020.
To combat the decline, a vaccine van could be found outside Cardiff City Stadium on January 25 before the tie between Cardiff and Derby County.
Fans found the vaccine van in the stadium car park, where staff offered immunisations free of charge.
The van was open to all fans and, after showing proof of their eligibility for a vaccine, they were able to receive a dose of one of the Flu, COVID-19, RSV or MMR jabs.
In a club statement, Cardiff City said: “Respiratory viruses such as flu are circulating across South Wales at increasing levels, putting huge pressure on our hospitals and primary care services.
“Getting vaccinated is the best line of defence to protect yourself – and those around you – from becoming seriously unwell from these infections.”
Uptake among NHS staff in Cardiff is also causing concern, as Cardiff and Vale Health Board ranked among the worst in Wales for staff vaccine uptake, with only 35% of staff receiving a flu jab, falling far short of the Welsh Government target of 80%.
This isn’t the first time that the club has hosted a vaccination centre. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Cardiff City Stadium hosted both a drive-in vaccination and testing centre, and currently hosts ExpressTest, a private COVID-19 screening service.
Vaccine vans were first seen at football matches during the COVID-19 pandemic, in a bid to drive vaccine uptake amongst match going fans.
Blackpool FC were one of the first clubs to host these vans, hosting one before a match against Cardiff City in August 2021.
On their website, Cardiff and Vale University Health Board said: “We are keen to promote the work of the Health Board and aim to respond positively and openly to all reasonable requests.”
They denied The Cardiffian’s request for comment on the vaccine van.
