'Grab a Jab' at Hampshire's mass vaccination hubs

Anyone aged over 18 can now walk-in for their first or second COVID-19 jab at Hampshire's mass vaccination hubs.

You can turn up without an appointment at Basingstoke Fire Station, St James’s Hospital in Portsmouth and Oakley Road in Millbrook, Southampton.

The Isle of Wight Vaccination Centre at The Riverside Centre in Newport will also be offering a walk-in service.

To use the service, people will need to arrive at one of the vaccination centres between 8am and 7.30pm.

Vaccines are offered on a first come, first served basis and there may be a short wait for people to receive their vaccine.

People should bring their NHS number if they have it.

Second vaccinations are available at the walk-ins if it has been at least eight weeks since the first dose.

Getting the second dose is vital to getting longer lasting and maximum protection offered by the vaccines, with recent research also showing they are highly effective against the Delta/Indian strain of the virus.

David Noyes, Chief Operating Officer at Solent NHS Trust, said: “We are delighted to be reopening walk-in appointments at the large-scale vaccination centres, following the success of the original open access pilots earlier this year. Our walk-in service proved popular earlier in the year and we are looking forward to reoffering this opportunity for people to be able to get their life-saving vaccination whilst they go about their daily lives.”

Pre-booked appointments continue to be offered at all the large-scale vaccination centres by visiting www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by calling 119, free of charge.

Latest figures (4 July) show that in Hampshire, 85.2% of people have received their first dose of the vaccine - 66.3% have received their second dose.

Whilst visiting the centres, people are reminded to follow the ‘hands, face, space’ guidance to help control the virus.