More pop up vaccination sites across Harrogate district this weekend
Three pop up sites are opening in Knaresborough, Harrogate and Pateley Bridge
A number of walk-in COVID vaccination clinics will be available across Harrogate and the Yorkshire Dales this weekend, to allow people to "pop in at their convenience, without needing to make an appointment".
The NHS in North Yorkshire, together with local authority partners, are hoping young adults – as well as care workers and those in the over 50s who may not yet have taken up the opportunity to be vaccinated – come forward.
People aged 18 and over can get their first dose of the Pfizer jab at the Wesley Centre on Oxford Street this Saturday between 10am to 4pm or at the Bishopside and Bewerley Memorial Hall in Pateley Bridge between 8am and 5.50pm.
There is also a pop up site opening at the Homecare Pharmacy Vaccination Centre (former Lidl site) on York Road in Knaresborough. It is open between 9am and 5pm both Saturday and Sunday offering a first dose of the Moderna jab for anyone aged 18 and over.
NHS North Yorkshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Chief Nurse, Sue Peckitt, said: "These walk-in clinics are aimed at those people who have not taken up the opportunity to book their vaccine via the NHS National Booking Service or NHS 119.
"With many COVID restrictions set to be lifted on 19 July, it's important we create a strong vaccine wall of resistance to help keep coronavirus transmission rates as low as possible, protect those who are most susceptible to suffering serious illness and reduce the impact on hospitals and other healthcare settings."
North Yorkshire’s director of Public Health, Louise Wallace, said: “Vaccination is the most effective way to reduce the risk of developing serious or life-threatening symptoms from coronavirus, as well as protecting others in the community.
“The vaccination programme in this country has been a huge success and the numbers of people becoming seriously ill, or dying, as a result of contracting the disease have fallen dramatically.
“That is why it is important for those who have not yet had a jab to do so and the walk-in clinics have been organised to make that as convenient as possible.”
The delta variant of coronavirus is more easily transmitted than earlier forms of the illness, meaning vaccination is increasingly important as infection levels rise.
North Yorkshire’s infection rate is currently above the England average and numbers are up significantly across the county, particularly among younger adults.
The rise in infection rates nationally has been followed by an increase in numbers admitted to hospital with younger people among those affected. People of all ages are also susceptible to long Covid, where symptoms last over an extended period.
A further benefit to vaccination is that from August 16 those who are fully vaccinated and returning from amber list countries will no longer automatically have to self-isolate, bringing potential advantages for holidaymakers.