Eligible people in Leeds are being urged to ‘bag a booster’ this weekend (15-16 January 2022) as Covid-19 rates continue to soar in West Yorkshire.
A range of walk-in clinics and pop-up services, including Elland Road and the White Rose Shopping Centre, will be available across the city to help make it as easy as possible for people to get the vital jab, with first and second doses also on offer for anyone who needs them.
These include regular clinics at Elland Road, the Bilal Centre, GP practices and pharmacies across the city, as well as pop ups at White Rose shopping centre, Leeds market, Trinity Leeds and Matalan in Halton.
The booster jab has been shown to be crucial in protecting people against the Omicron variant, which is continuing to spread rapidly across the country. Although evidence suggests the variant is not as severe as originally feared, the numbers of people being infected is leading to an increase in hospital admissions and disruption to public services in general.
Sam Prince, Senior Responsible Officer for the Vaccination Programme in Leeds, said:
“We’re trying to make it as easy as possible for people to get their booster – or whichever vaccination they need – and help with the battle against Omicron.
“Infection rates are at an all time high and having a major impact on all aspects of daily life so we are asking people to have their jab as soon as possible to help to protect themselves and play their part in keeping going.”
Cllr Salma Arif, Executive Member for Public Health and Active Lifestyles at Leeds City Council, added:
“COVID-19 is still very much here and we hope the Bag a Booster weekend will prompt anyone who needs a jab to come forward, whether it’s their booster or their first or second dose.
“If you haven’t had any of your vaccinations yet, it’s not too late. There are centres across the city offering appointments or walk in clinics. The vaccinations are free, regardless of immigration status, and you don’t need to be registered with a GP.”
Details of local walk-in clinics are available on NHS Leeds CCG’s website at www.leedsccg.nhs.uk/health/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/walk-in-clinics/ or the walk-in site finder on www.nhs.uk.
Or if people prefer, they can book an appointment at a convenient time and place at the NHS website or by calling 119.
This post is based on a press release issued by NHS Leeds
