Thousands expected at 'grab a jab' weekend in final weeks of world-leading vaccination programme
Video report by Adam Fowler
It is being billed as 'Grab a Jab' weekend and anyone over 18 is being urged to walk in and get their COVID-19 jab at convenient sites while going about their usual weekend business – without needing to book a time in advance.
In Doncaster the doors opened at 8am on Saturday 26th June and 200 vaccinations had already been administered in the first few hours. They are hoping to have done around 3000 over the course of the weekend.
The NHS has launched a new online service - www.nhs.uk/grab-a-jab - enabling people to simply enter their postcode and find their nearest walk-in site, and text messages will be sent to people living nearby who haven’t had their first dose yet.
Second doses will also be available, as long as it has been eight weeks since the first dose for people aged 40 and over and 12 weeks for people under 40. The move comes as the NHS continues the final push to vaccinate everyone, following the watershed moment last Friday when every adult in the country became eligible for the jab.
Over 9.8 million doses have already been given in the North East and Yorkshire.
Dr Yvette Oade, Regional Clinical Lead for the NHS North East and Yorkshire vaccination programme, said the takeup had been 'fantastic' locally but that it was still just as important to get vaccinated now as it was on day one of the programme.
A little more than a week since the system opened to everyone, more than a third of people aged 18 to 24 have been vaccinated.More than one million appointments were booked in last Friday and Saturday following the move, an average of more than 21,000 every hour, or six every second. People who attend a walk-in clinic for their first dose will have their vaccination record updated online and will then be able to book in their second dose appointment using the national booking system.
People aged 39 and under who are eligible and pregnant women will be offered the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in line with updated JCVI guidance.