As the covid vaccination programme in Lincolnshire and across the country enters the final sprint, the NHS is holding a ‘big weekend’ of vaccine-related activity, to encourage people to get vaccinated and help meet the ambition of offering everyone aged 18 or over a vaccination by 19th July.
Lincolnshire will be playing its part in the ‘big weekend’ and aims to make vaccines easily and readily available, by offering a number of walk-in services, where appointments won’t be required, during the weekend.
Second dose vaccinations (minimum eight week gap between first and second dose).
The first of these will be held at The Arboretum, Lincoln (Monks Road entrance), where a mobile unit will offer Pfizer walk-in vaccinations for first doses, on a ‘first come, first served’ basis between 12pm-3pm on Saturday 26th June, to anyone aged 18 or over who is eligible.
On Sunday 27th June, Newlands Pharmacy, Lincoln, will be offering Pfizer and AstraZeneca walk-in vaccinations on a ‘first come, first served’ basis between 10am-2pm, to anyone 18 or over who is eligible, including both first and second doses.
On Friday 25th, Saturday 26th and Sunday 27th June, the Storehouse in Skegness will also be providing walk-in Pfizer ONLY vaccinations between 8.30am-5pm using Pfizer for both first and second doses, on a ‘first come, first served’ basis.
In addition to this, both of the county’s Mass Vaccination Centres (MVC) will offer vaccinations on a walk-in basis as follows:
PRSA Mass Vaccination Centre, Boston – offering Pfizer and AstraZeneca walk-ins (no individual choice of vaccine, will be administered according to JCVI guidance), first and second doses, 8am-7pm Friday 25th, Saturday 26th, Sunday 27th and Monday 28th June.
Lincolnshire Showground Mass Vaccination Centre – offering AstraZeneca ONLY walk-ins, first and second doses for people in cohorts 1-10/aged 40 and over, 8am-7pm Friday 25th, Saturday 26th, Sunday 27th and Monday 28th June.
“We are thrilled with the uptake of the covid vaccination so far in Lincolnshire, and after seven months of vaccinating hundreds of thousands of people across the county we are nearly there,” comments Rebecca Neno, Deputy Chief Nurse, NHS Lincolnshire CCG. “We are well on track to have offered everyone eligible a vaccination by 19th July, however, there are some people who might not have taken up the offer of a vaccination to-date, and the walk-ins offer a great opportunity to get a first vaccination or bring forwards your second vaccination if it is eight weeks or more since your first vaccination.”
We expect the walk in sessions to be busy so please do be patient if you have to wait a few minutes. There is no requirement to be registered with a GP or to have an NHS number to attend, however, if you do have an NHS number and have it to hand this can speed up the process.
“In addition to the walk-ins, we have good availability for vaccination pre-booked appointments across the county at our Mass Vaccination Centres at PRSA, Boston, and at the Lincolnshire Showground, as well as at pharmacies in Lincoln and Boston, and also at the Meres Local Vaccination Centre in Grantham. My key message to people is it’s not too late, there is still chance to get vaccinated, and please make sure you get vaccinated twice to gain the maximum protection,” adds Rebecca.
As we embark upon the ‘big weekend’, the Mass Vaccination Centre at the Lincolnshire Showground will celebrate giving its 100,000th vaccination. This is a remarkable achievement coming just four months since the centred opened and less than two months since it hit 50,000 vaccinations.
“This is a huge achievement for Terry Vine and his team at the Showground MVC, and I would like to congratulate them and all of my colleagues across the county for what they have achieved and what they continue to achieve. Without them we wouldn’t be entering the final sprint part of the vaccination programme in such a good place,” concludes Rebecca.
You can find your NHS number online and please only attend if you are eligible – find out more information on eligibility.
