Vaccine bus to deliver more walk-in jabs
Supermarket car parks and a busy marketplace will be among the destinations visited by the NHS vaccine bus in the coming month.
The mobile clinics, which are run by health staff from Easington District, Sedgefield North and North Easington Primary Care Networks, will deliverfirstCovidvaccinations onlytopeoplelivingorworking in County Durham.
Those able to be vaccinated on the bus, which has a capacity to provide about 250 jabs a day, will not need to book an appointment. Those able to receive their jab will include people who are within the current eligible age cohorts, carers, health and social care frontline staff and people over theageof16yearswhoareclinicallyvulnerableorhavealearning disability, who have not yet had their first jab.
No appointment is needed andanon-boardteamofimmunises and support staff, from NHS County Durham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Durham County Council’s Public Health Team, will be on hand to answer questions or address any issues of vaccine hesitancy.
It will stop at: Aldi Car Park, Horden, Peterlee, SR8 5BA, on
June 9, from 12pm to 7pm; Kelloe Working Men’s Club Car Park, 4 Front Street, Kelloe, DH6 4PD, on June 11, from 12pm to 7pm; Ferryhill Market Place, DL17 8JW, on June 15, from 12pm to 7pm; Asda Car Park, Byron Place, South Terrace, Seaham, SR7 7HN, on June 21, from 12pm to 7pm.
Morethan563,490Covid-19 vaccinationshavealreadybeen administered in County Durham, from sites across the county, including 13 local GP led vaccination clinics, three community pharmacies and theArnisonCentre,alargevaccination hub.
Kate Huddart, head of medicines optimisation, NHS County Durham CCG, said: “We were extremely pleased by the success of our last vaccinebusvisittoPeterleewhere over225peoplecameonboard to have their jab.
“This is now a great opportunityforustotakethebusinto other areas across the county, where uptake of the covid vaccine may need to be encouraged, to enable as many people aspossibletogettheirfirstvaccination as quickly and as conveniently as possible.”
The MELISSA bus (Mobile EducationalLearning,Improving Simulation and Safety Activities), which will be used as the mobile clinic to administer the vaccinations, has been provided by Health Education England, North East.