Cornwall's mass vaccination centre at Stithians Showground closes

Stithians Showground mass vaccination centre entrance
The mass vaccination centre at Stithians Showground. Credit: NHS Kernow

The vaccination centre at Stithians Showground has stopped taking new patients with services moving elsewhere.

From Monday 27 September, appointments for the jab will move back to the Royal Cornwall Hospital Health and Wellbeing Innovation Centre in Treliske.

Anyone aged 16 or over and health and care workers can book an appointment to have their Covid jab through the NHS booking service or by calling 119.

Those who are due their Covid booster jab will be contacted by the NHS for an appointment once six months have passed from their second vaccine.

Those who qualify for a booster vaccine are people:

  • living in residential care homes for older adults

  • aged 50 years or over

  • frontline health and social care workers

  • are aged 16-49 years with underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 (as set out in the green book), and adult carers

  • household contacts (aged 16 or over) of immunosuppressed individuals

First and second doses, as well as booster jabs, are still being administered at the Royal Cornwall Showground. Credit: PA

The Hospital Hub will be open for booked appointments for the Covid vaccine between 8am and 7pm.

During the past nine months, 841,796 doses of the Covid vaccine have been delivered by GPs, health and care teams based at the Wadebridge and Stithians vaccination centres and community pharmacies, walk-ins and the vaccination van.

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Iain Davidson, clinical lead for the vaccination centre at Stithians, the Royal Cornwall Showground and the hospital hub and chief pharmacist at Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust, said support for the teams has been "overwhelming".

He added: “I would also like to take the opportunity to thank all our vaccination teams and volunteers at Stithians Showground and across health and care services for their dedication in helping to make the vaccination programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly such a success.

“A final thank you should also go out to everyone who has stepped forward to have their Covid vaccination and protect themselves, their families, loved ones, friends and colleagues against this deadly virus and we ask for your continued support to the vaccination programme.

"We cannot emphasis enough the importance of being vaccinated to protect yourself from serious illness and encourage those that have not yet come forward to do so as soon as they can. I would also urge those that are now eligible for a booster dose to come forward when they are invited, to ensure they are well protected before winter.”

More than 800,000 doses have been given out across Cornwall in the past nine months.

Cornwall’s other vaccination centre will continue to run at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge.

Anyone over the age of 16 who needs a first dose of the vaccine or is due their second dose can also use community pharmacies or, in some cases, their GP.

For the latest update on the COVID vaccination programme, please continue to check NHS Kernow’s dedicated website page.