More than 1,300 vaccines given at pop-up sessions in one day in Brighton and Hove as NHS work hard to increase appointments

Mobile vaccination teams in Brighton and Hove delivered more than 1,300 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at pop-up sessions in just one day this week.

On Wednesday, all adults became eligible to book their Covid booster vaccine, for a date three months after their second jab. The Government said all adults will be offered their booster jab by the end of the year in response to the growing numbers of infections of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant.

In Sussex, more than 670,000 people have received their booster vaccination and more than 80,000 vaccinations have been offered a week across the centres and services across the county.

On Wednesday, the Sussex Vaccination Programme said mobile units in Hove, Hangleton and Newhaven gave out 1,300 doses with 680 of them given at the Hove Tesco session, where some people queued for more than two hours.

Although the mobile sessions can offer first, second and booster vaccinations, the local NHS and the city council said the mobile vaccination services are located in specific areas or dedicated spaces where they are needed to help those particular communities to access their vaccines. So, people needing the booster vaccine are urged to book an appointment at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by calling 119

An NHS spokesman said: “Vaccination teams are working hard to increase capacity at sites across Sussex and new appointments are being added to the national booking site daily, please check regularly. By focusing on booked appointments at the current time, we can make sure that the maximum number of vaccinations are available every day.”

Councillor Sue Shanks, chair of Brighton and Hove City Council’s health & wellbeing board, added: “Demand for vaccines is currently extremely high and I know many residents have struggled to book suitable appointments or have been queuing for hours to try to get a vaccine at a walk-in site. Vaccination teams are working incredibly hard to make vaccine appointments available. Please leave the local and dedicated mobile walk-in sites for the specific communities they are being arranged for.”

Walk-in appointments have been suspended at the vaccination centres at Churchill Square and Brighton Racecourse so the NHS can work to offer the maximum number of appointments every day.

The spokesman added: “The number of appointments available for people across Sussex are being significantly increased, with sites opening for longer and on additional days and new services are being made available in key areas. NHS staff are being redeployed to focus on this huge national effort to protect people as quickly as possible and military aid is also being put in place.”

Play your part to keep Sussex Safe

GP teams are being asked to clinically prioritise their services to free up capacity to support the COVID-19 vaccination programme, alongside delivering critical appointments such as cancer, urgent and emergency care.

Local hospitals are also currently extremely busy, said the spokesman, and it is expected that the number of people with COVID-19 needing hospital treatment will increase over the coming weeks.

Allison Cannon, chief nurse for the Sussex NHS Commissioners, said: “The whole NHS is working incredibly hard to ensure that people get the help and support they need, and we urge people to play their part to Keep Sussex Safe and ensure services are there for those who truly need them.”

Amy Galea, senior responsible officer for the Sussex Vaccination Programme, said: “Our vaccination teams are working extremely hard and are significantly increasing the number of appointments available. We are aware the National Booking System is currently facing high demand so if you cannot book at first, please keep checking as new appointments are being added every day.

“We also want to be clear that the focus isn’t only on booster vaccines and we equally want people to come forward for their first and second vaccinations to give them protection at this critical time.”

People are being urged to do regular lateral flow tests but a shortage of kits online has left people frustrated. Brighton and Hove City Council has said it has kits available for collection at Hove Town Hall and Jubilee Library in the city centre. Read more: Pick up lateral flow tests from Hove Town Hall or Jubilee Library | Brighton & Hove Independent (brightonandhoveindependent.co.uk)

Find out more about the vaccine programme and the walk-in sessions at www.sussexhealthandcare.uk/keepsussexsafe