Fire station to host a Covid vaccine walk-in
Young people urged to get jab
FIREFIGHTERS are urging young people to get their Covid-19 jabs sooner rather than later.
Anyone over the age of 16 can get their first or second Covid-19 vaccines at Cosham Fire Station tomorrow, as Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service ups the ante in the fight against coronavirus.
The fire station held a walk-in day on July 30, with hundreds of people queuing outside for their jabs.
Residents have been getting Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccines from these walk-in events.
With the building used for vaccines, the fire engines themselves are kept outside during the day, so that firefighters can still respond to emergency incidents.
Speaking about the impact of walk-ins, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service group manager for Portsmouth, Andy Weeks said: 'Fire stations have an important role to play within our communities and we urge everyone who lives nearby to make the most of this opportunity.
‘We can reassure everyone that the fire station will remain fully operational at all times.’
The news comes as organisations across Portsmouth and the surrounding area have offered walk-in vaccine events.
On August 19, Eden bar and restaurant in Gunwharf Quays played their part in the vaccine uptake, and a walk-in vaccine station will be set up at Victorious Festival in Southsea this weekend.
The festival will be offering first and second dose Pfizer jabs to anyone age 18 and over. In September, the University of Portsmouth will also have a pop-up clinic once a month, in a bid to target the student population moving into the city.
Fire stations across Hampshire have been pitching in with the vaccine effort.
Basingstoke Fire Station has been serving as a vaccine hub since February, with pop-up events also being held at Hightown and St Mary's Fire Stations in Southampton.
In Portsmouth, 122,557 people have received both their first and second Covid19 vaccines, with the total number of vaccinations in the city rising throughout August.
Solent NHS Trust has been widely praised for the speed at which these pop-up vaccination centres are set up, and how efficiently they are run.
The News launched the Grab a Jab campaign this summer.