For eight centuries, the cathedral in Salisbury, England, has stood out above the faithful. Now it hosts the hopeful, such as 85-year-old Daphne Morant, who recently joined more than 1,000 others who were vaccinated here against COVID-19 in one day.
When people come in, they register and sit at a booth. Because the cathedral is so spacious, 12 people can be vaccinated at a time. They are then monitored for side effects.
“I didn’t feel anything,” Morant told CBS News’ Roxana Saberi after being shot at her. “Except it’s cold, you know, if you wait. That’s all I can say! ‘
While they wait for safe social distances, they relax to the organ music of Bach and Handel. David Halls, Salisbury Cathedral’s Music Director, said, “Remember they haven’t heard live music in months!”
CBS News
It is an unusual place to treat patients. But Dr. Michele Giorgi said it is ideal for administering large amounts of the Pfizer vaccine, which spoils quickly at room temperature.
“It allows us to adapt the space to what we need in terms of vaccinations, observation areas and exits,” said Giorgi. Moreover, the cathedral is centrally located: “Everyone knows where he is. It is not difficult to find.”
The United Kingdom has now vaccinated more than six million people. That gives it the third highest per capita vaccination rate in the major countries (after Israel and the United Arab Emirates).
Across the UK, other locations closed by the lockdown have been transformed into mass vaccinations sites, with people queuing up at horse racing tracks, a rugby stadium and a movie theater. “Too bad no film was made, ha ha!” said a woman who had been vaccinated.
Officials say nearly one-tenth of the population has already received the first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Other countries are also setting up makeshift mega-sites in unconventional locations, such as a food court in Moscow, a museum in Beijing, and next to the iconic “Christ the Redeemer” statue in Rio de Janeiro.
Israel, a world leader in vaccinations per capita, is now injecting up to 7,000 people a day at Tel Aviv’s historic Rabin Square. “It’s not only a communal feeling and they can see their neighbors here, but there is also just a festive feeling,” explains city councilor Eytan Halon.
But in the European Union, vaccinations at junctions like an ice rink in Berlin have stalled after a vaccine shortage.
Also in the UK, officials expect delivery delays this week, threatening plans to dose around 15 million people by mid-February.
Saberi asked Dr. Giorgi: “Is it going fast enough?”
“It’s never going fast enough,” he replied.
As for those already rolling up their sleeves, they hope this is a step towards greater freedom. “I’ll see my son and my daughter again, and that will be fun!” one woman said.
Despite advances in mass vaccinations, Britain is still struggling with one more contagious variant of the virus. Officials are now considering tougher restrictions, such as tighter border controls and keeping schools closed until Easter.