Pensioner was turned away from jab site
NOW HE PLANS TO STAY AT HOME UNTIL HE CAN HAVE BOOSTER
A NOTTINGHAMSHIRE pensioner says he will not leave his house until his Covid booster jab appointment after he was turned away from a Nottingham vaccination site.
Michael Preston, of East Bridgford, was told he was unable to receive his third vaccine at The Forest Recreation Ground last Wednesday.
The 75-year-old has an appointment for his booster later this month, however wanted to get protection earlier, so was driven to the Nottingham site by his neighbour - only to find it was too busy to take walk-ins.
“The organisation needs to improve, it’s ridiculous,” said Mr Preston.
“They could have just done me when I was there, they just don’t care.”
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) apologised, adding that they are “experiencing lots of demand at many of our sites”.
Mr Preston said that he booked an appointment “weeks ago” for his booster jab as soon as he was eligible. However, the earliest slot he could get was for December 14 in Lowdham.
After being turned away from the Forest site, he has vowed to stay indoors for the 10 days before his scheduled jab.
“I thought it would be better to get one now and be protected sooner, I have a heart condition so there’s a danger that if I contract Covid it could be dangerous for me,” he continued.
“I won’t be going anywhere until my appointment, I don’t have a mode of transport anyway.”
A spokesperson for NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG said: “Our staff are working exceptionally hard to vaccinate as many people as possible and we are grateful for the public’s support.
“There are more than 50 sites across the city and county offering booster vaccinations and there are plenty of appointments available to book at over the next few weeks. There is more immediate capacity at certain sites if people are happy to travel.
“Some people may have to wait slightly longer for a more convenient local appointment in certain cases. We would encourage anyone over 40 to book an appointment on the NHS website or by calling 119.”