NHS England is encouraging unvaccinated over-18s to turn up to walk-in Covid vaccination clinics this weekend.
It is planning to open up hundreds of walk-in sites, including football stadiums, theatres, shopping centres and supermarket car parks.
In some areas, walk-in ‘roving vaccination buses’ will also be operating to reach as many people as possible including those who are housebound, NHS England said.
People can use an online service to enter their postcode and find their nearest walk-in Covid vaccination site, and NHS England will also target unvaccinated people via text message.
In the week since all adults became eligible, more than a third of 18-24 year olds have been vaccinated, with more than a million appointments booked in the first two days, NHS England data shows.
Patients who attend walk-in Covid vaccination sites for their first dose will be able to use the national booking service (NBS) to book their second jab.
Second jabs are also available at planned walk-in sites, if it has been at least eight weeks since the first dose for people aged over 40, and 12 weeks for people aged under 40.
It comes as the BMA this week raised concerns that ‘limited availability’ of the Pfizer and Moderna Covid vaccines could cause a delay to the vaccination programme, however the Department of Health and Social Care said it was confident in its supplies.
Vaccinations are being done ‘at the rate supply allows’ NHS England said.
NHS chief executive Sir Simon Stevens said that, with more than 63 million jabs delivered in England, ‘we’re now in a race to the finish line’.
‘It’s now easier than ever to get your life-saving jab, and the more of us who are vaccinated the safer and freer we all will be. So this weekend why not join millions of others and “grab a jab” to take advantage of this life-saving protection,’ he added.
Health secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘It’s becoming clearer all the time how effective our vaccines are in protecting against the Delta variant and with three in five people double vaccinated we’re well on our way to the whole country getting the fullest possible protection.’
Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said vaccines were the way out of this pandemic.
‘I urge everyone eligible to get to their nearest walk-in centre this weekend, get their jab and help us get back to normality.’
According to the Government, three in five adults are now fully vaccinated against Covid, with the vaccine programme having saved an estimated 14,000 lives, and prevented 44,500 hospitalisations, to date.
READERS' COMMENTS [1]
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Glad that’s all we’re grabbing. And they want to monitor doctors. Please.