The Chronicle (South Tyneside and Durham)
Vaccine centre shuts its doors
ONE of the largest Covid-19 vaccination centres in England has closed a year and half after it first opened its doors.
The vaccination centre at Newcastle’s International Centre for Life is just one of seven large vaccination centres in England and the only one in the North East. Since it opened in December 2020 to administer the life-saving vaccine, 285,000 doses have been administered.
The Centre for Life said: “From 30 June 2022, the NHS Covid-19 large vaccination centre at the International Centre for Life, will be closed.
“Life is incredibly proud to have been the first science centre in the world to be used as a Covid-19 large vaccination centre – just one of seven large vaccination centres in England and the only one in the North East. Since opening in December 2020, 285,00 people from across the region have received a lifesaving vaccine at Life.
“Life’s mission is to inspire everyone in North East England to explore and enjoy science and to discover its relevance to their own lives. What could have been more relevant than being the place where life-saving vaccines have been given? To have partnered with the NHS through such challenging times has been a real honour.”
The centre has proved to be a popular site to receive the vaccine.
In December 2021, following the news that every eligible adult should be able to get their booster jab before January, queues could be seen at a number of vaccination site across the North East, including Centre for Life and Grainger Market vaccination centres in Newcastle city centre.
At Grainger Market, queues of people snaked through the mall, out of the door and down Clayton Street.
Marina Melrose, clinical leader of the vaccination programme at Grainger Market, described the atmosphere at the vaccination centre as “fast and furious”.
In the first two-and-a-half-hours the centre had already used 150 of the 270 doses available for that day.
Ms Melrose said: “After the announcement last night from the Prime Minister it has been absolutely hectic here today.”
She added: “People unfortunately might get turned away, but we can only live and learn. Normally at this clinic we usually do about 170 [vaccines] in the whole day, from 10am until 5pm, so it’s quite hard to judge for the first time after the announcement. I brought 100 extra but we’ve gone through them like hot cakes today.”