10 new mass vaccination centres to open across UK

London, January 17

Ten new large-scale centres, including a rugby ground, racecourse, food court and a cathedral, will open up next week across Britain to join the seven already delivering vaccines to immunise against Covid-19, the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) said on Sunday.

It comes as a further 324,233 vaccine doses were administered across the UK to take the total above 3.5 million, a milestone hailed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson as a “fantastic national effort”.

The state-funded health service leading the UK’s “biggest” vaccination programme in history also confirmed more than 1 million people aged 80 or over have been invited to book a coronavirus jab at a Vaccination Centre.

There are now 1,000 general practice (GP) led services and more than 250 hospitals offering coronavirus vaccinations, with dozens of new high street pharmacies stores also jabbing people by the end of next week. “The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in NHS history, is off to a strong start with more than three million people receiving the life-saving jab, including more than a third of those aged 80 or over,” said Ruth May, chief nursing officer for England.

The UK government is also urging the public to “play their part” in supporting the drive by helping people attend their appointments.

UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock asked people to commit to three pledges to “help out”, “join up” and “stay informed”. — PTI