Boris Johnson praised the “significant milestone”. Blackburn Cathedral, Taunton Racecourse in Somerset, St Helens rugby ground in Merseyside and the Olympic Office Centre in Wembley were among the sites that opened. They join seven existing mass vaccination centres, 1,000 GP-led surgeries and more than 250 hospitals already providing jabs.
The Prime Minister declared that opening up appointments to priority groups three and four – 4.6 million people aged 70 and over, and one million clinically extremely vulnerable – was “very encouraging”.
People in the top two groups – care home residents, those aged 80 and over, and frontline healthcare workers – should still be a priority, the Department of Health said.
Other vaccination centres opened at Bournemouth International Centre, Salt Hill Activity Centre in Slough, Berks, Norwich Food Court, The Lodge in Wickford, Essex, the Princess Royal Sports Arena in Boston, Lincs, and the park and ride at Askham Bar,York.
But the National Medical Director for NHS England, Stephen Powis, said: “The vaccine centres are all set up to be safe, they’re all set up to maintain social distancing, and of course to get people vaccinated as efficiently and as quickly as possible.”
Prof Powis said infection rates in London had “slowed” but there was “less of a slowdown” elsewhere.
He was confident that “supplies will be there so that everybody who’s had their first dose gets their second dose”.
The PM’s spokesman said supplies were “distributed equally” across the country. He added: “The Prime Minister has stated clearly that everybody in the first four priority groups will receive a vaccination by February 15.”
The number of people in the UK to get a first dose rose to 3.8 million, 400,000 more than have tested positive since the crisis began.
