Large scale Covid vaccination centre opens in Hampshire

People will be invited to attend

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has urged pregnant women and the parents of young children to book appointments
Author: Carol MusgravePublished 1st Feb 2021

Large scale NHS Covid-19 vaccination centres have opened in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight including at Basingstoke fire station.

The centres - also at St James' Hospital, Portsmouth, and The Riverside Centre in Newport -will be open 7 days a week, 8am to 8pm.

They complement vaccination provisions at GP-led and hospital services across the region.

People will be invited by a letter and will then have to go onto the national booking system and book an appointment slot or call 119.

They will then receive a health status check and a pre-vaccination assessment before they have their jab.

Dr Dan Baylis, Chief Medical Officer at Solent NHS Trust, said: "We are really excited to be expanding the rollout of the Covid-19 vaccination programme.

"Covid-19 continues to be the single biggest health emergency the NHS has ever seen.

"The vaccination is our way out of this pandemic and a return to normal.

"The scale of vaccinations happening every day across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight is thanks to the hard work and dedication of all the staff and volunteers involved.

"We are especially grateful to our partners who are offering mutual aid to helps us vaccinate as many people as possible.

"I would encourage everyone eligible to get vaccinated against Covid-19 when they are invited by the NHS."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.