Pharmacies WILL offer Covid jab after Blackpool Gazette appeal - but more are ready and waiting to help in fight against virus

The Blackpool Gazette and its sister titles across the UK today are continuing to challenge Boris Johnson to ensure that every citizen is only a short walk away from a vaccine centre.

Yesterday, we launched a campaign urge him to deploy the country’s network of 11,000 pharmacies as front-line Covid vaccine centres as part of that.

Despite increasing warm words from Government in the past few days that they will expand the use of the very limited number of the 200 largest pharmacies, it is essential that every single one is given a cast-iron assurance that they will be allowed to play their part.

We look forward to Health Secretary Matt Hancock showing far greater ambition, and urgency, than his initial promise last week to involve just 200 community outlets.

One of those outlets will be in Fleetwood, however there are calls for more pharmacies to be able to administer the vaccine, especially those in rural communities.

Last night, in response to a question at the Downing Street press briefing on behalf of the Gazette and our sister papers, the Health Secretary said the Government is “absolutely” looking at what further role community pharmacies could play in the vaccine roll-out.

He said: “The first 200 community pharmacies are coming on stream (for vaccinations) very shortly but I am sure there is more that community pharmacy could do.

“I am a huge fan of the role that community pharmacy plays, especially so close to the community - so often it is the part of the NHS that is most embedded in the community.”

Mr Hancock added that community pharmacists are likely to play “a particularly important role” in persuading hard-to-reach groups and those hesitant about vaccination to get a Covid-19 jab.

Fleetwood and Lancaster MP Cat Smith has backed the #ashotinthearm campaign and said ‘there isn’t a moment to lose.’

She said: “The fantastic work of scientists and others in developing a vaccine has been a tremendous achievement for our country and allowed us to all feel hopeful again. This is now a race against time and there isn’t a moment to lose. We need government to move heaven and earth to roll out vaccination starting with two million jabs a week to save lives and hit the government’s spring promise of easing restrictions.

“Government needs to act as a matter of urgency to deliver the resources that GPs and pharmacists need to increase the number of people they can vaccinate including providing them with additional properly trained staff, and access to public buildings to set up local vaccination centres.”

Paul Maynard, MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, said he hopes more Fylde coast pharmacies will be allowed to play a role in the vaccine rollout.

He said: “Pharmacies play a key role in delivering the flu jabs. As vaccine supplies increase, and we move towards vaccination larger population groups, pharmacies will have to play a role.

“It’s really encouraging that one local community pharmacy group is already playing a key role in rolling out the vaccine across north Blackpool, and let’s hope many more follow”.

The MP for Fylde, Mark Menzies, said it would not be ‘physically possible’ for all pharmacies to provide vaccines but welcomes more taking part.

He said: “I’m pleased to see there is a comprehensive rollout programme in place with hundreds of venues added in the past week alone across the country, and thousands more to come. Community pharmacies will have a large role to play in that, as will doctor’s surgeries and other community venues working alongside larger vaccination centres.

“The differing storage and distribution needs of vaccines from Astra Zenica, Pfizer and Oxford (with Moderna to be added shortly) means it will not be physically possible for every single pharmacy to take part, especially when you consider those given a vaccine need to stay on the premises for 15 minutes afterwards, but I hope to see as many of them take part as possible.

“I’d like to pay tribute to the CCG and the Army for the huge amount of effort they have put in to planning this immense vaccine rollout programme.”

Blackpool South MP, Scott Benton, said the current system is ‘working well’.

He said: “We were the first nation on earth to approve a vaccine for use and over 2 million vaccine doses have been administered in the UK already. We have done more vaccines than the rest of Europe combined and are the fourth country in the world for vaccinations per capita – a testament to British science, as we are leading the world from the front in research and development.

“Our plan to roll out vaccinations as quickly as possible is well underway, with 730 vaccination sites already up and running.

“Locally and nationally, the NHS has a clear plan for delivery of the vaccine using its vast experience of rolling out vaccination programmes. In Blackpool, over 5000 people have already received the jab and the system of using GPs surgeries and the Vic is working well.

“Our local programme will be further boosted when our local large-scale vaccination centre opens in 2 weeks’ time. Our local NHS leaders will continue to explore every option for delivering the vaccine as soon as possible to those key priority groups in the weeks ahead.”

Downing Street has said that the over 80s who have been invited to mass vaccination centres if they live within 45 minutes of the sites can wait for closer appointments in the future if they prefer.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “Those who receive the letter do not have to take one of those appointments if it is too far to travel and can wait for a local appointment if they would prefer.”