NHS say vaccine appointments are available despite surge in demand
Video report by Health Correspondent Helen Ford
The NHS say appointments are available for booster vaccines across the region.
This comes as the government revealed its aim to get all eligible adults triple jabbed by the end of December.
Covid vaccination centres like the one at Royal Quays shopping centre in North Shields are seeing increase in demand for walk in vaccinations.
Christmas shoppers have been receiving their jabs whilst buying presents.
Two shoppers at the North Shields centre said: "From word of mouth we came here and there wasn't a queue so we just jumped in and within ten minutes we've been seen and got the jabs so pretty easy wasn't it."
"With us working in hospitality I wanted it done before Christmas - it takes two minutes."
This clinic will be open tomorrow and currently has around five hundred free appointments. People are being encouraged to reserve a slot through the National Booking Service - or simply walk in.
Dave Tomson continued: “But the basic message is - you either vaccinate or you're going to need to hibernate and my guess is there will be moved towards more lockdown after Christmas. The sooner people get vaccinated the better."
Over seven days last week, more than two hundred and forty thousand Covid vaccines have been administered across the North East and North Cumbria.
Despite that huge surge in demand, the NHS says “appointments are available."