Dr Ranj has received his first COVID-19 vaccine

Posted on Friday 8th January 2021
Dr Ranj vaccine with a sign that says NHS COVID-19 Vaccination Centre

Dr Ranj at our vaccination centre

TV presenter Dr Ranj has received his first COVID-19 vaccine at our vaccination hub for staff.

The Strictly Come Dancing star has been discussing the vaccine as part of a special segment on ITV show This Morning. As a doctor who trained at our hospital and currently does shift work at Evelina London’s children’s hospital, Dr Ranj wanted to highlight to the public how important vaccinations are.

Dr Ranj said:  "Vaccination is one of the most important lines of defence that we have against COVID-19. It is so important because vaccines work. They save lives and they save livelihoods.

"I barely felt a thing when I had the jab, I have been given loads of information and everyone has been great. I feel so super-confident and pleased that I have had the COVID-19 vaccine, and I would encourage everyone who is called up to have one to make sure they get one.

"I am really lucky that I work in a Trust that is providing this service. I am really proud to be part of Guy's and St Thomas' and Evelina London."

Staff at Evelina London are being invited to have the COVID-19 vaccine at vaccination hubs at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals.

Janet Powell, Director of Nursing at Evelina London, said: “With the current high rates of COVID-19 infections, it’s more important than ever to help stop the spread of coronavirus, to avoid pressure on the NHS and to keep the health and social care workforce healthy.

“The safety of our patients, families and staff is our top priority and I’m really proud of our staff for taking this step to help protect the families we care for at Evelina London.”

Vaccinating staff is just one of the many extra measures we are taking to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Others include reducing the number of people visiting our hospital so we can stay safe by keeping apart, checking people’s symptoms when they do visit, cleaning rooms between appointments and making sure staff and visitors wear face coverings. All of these measures mean that it is safe, and important to come to our hospital if you have been invited for a face to face appointment or procedure, or need urgent care at our emergency department.