Covid boosters: Football stadiums and leisure centres could be used for jabs in huge vaccination drive

Football stadiums, cathedrals and leisure centres will be used in the drive to protect people against the Omicron Covid variant, the Government has announced, along with smaller venues including trucks and buses in parks.

The announcement came as it was revealed the Sheffield NHS Vaccination Centre is extending its opening hours to offer jabs seven days a week, from 8am to 10pm.

The NHS said on Monday evening that vaccination sites had been asked to operate 12 hours a day, with some sites running around the clock, and that in every community there should be slots available for at least 16 hours a day.

It revealed that temporary buildings and tents were ready to be dispatched to extend existing sites and help manage queues.

With no shows accounting for around one in 10 booked appointments, services have been asked to factor this into their planning and allow more appointments each day.

The NHS has declared a level 4 national incident, with GPs asked to ‘clinically prioritise’ their services to free up maximum capacity to support the vaccination programme, while still delivering urgent care.

While this means some appointments will be postponed, the NHS has asked people to ‘be patient and consider the herculean effort we are asking of our staff’.

How can you help with the Covid booster programme?

Dr Emily Lawson, director of the NHS COVID-19 vaccination programme said: “Today we have set out how we intend to respond to the new national mission to turbo-charge the booster programme so every adult can get their top up jab and quickly.

“It is a huge and complex challenge for an already stretched health service, but our incredible NHS staff and volunteers – as they have throughout the pandemic – will once again be pulling out all of the stops to ensure we get lifesaving boosters into the arms of the public as soon as possible before the end of the year.

“The latest data has shown us that the booster is absolutely our best hope of protecting people against the new variant, so please do book your booster to guarantee your booking.”

“And my final plea is to please consider joining the thousands of vaccinators and volunteers who have already signed up to lend a hand – this mission wouldn’t be possible without you.”

How many booster jabs have been delivered so far?

On Monday, the national booking system opened up to everyone aged 30-39 to book in for their booster, and from Wednesday anyone aged 18 and over will be able to use it to make an appointment.

On Saturday, a record 483,361 booster jabs were delivered, and in just over a year, the NHS said it has administered 43 million first doses, 39.2 million second doses and more than 19 million boosters.

The NHS said the best way to get your booster quickly is by booking online or by calling 119 but if walk in centres have capacity to do so, they can vaccinate adults aged 18 and over immediately.s