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Walk-in covid vaccine appointments extended

Walk-in covid vaccine appointments extended

Tuesday 03 August 2021

Walk-in covid vaccine appointments extended

Tuesday 03 August 2021


Walk-ins at the Fort Regent Vaccination Centre have been extended for the rest of this month for both first and second doses - but the centre will also close for 11 days to prepare for the booster programme.

The walk-in jabs will be available between 11:30 and 18:30 on most weekdays, and between 08:30 and 15:30 on Saturdays.

The dates the centre is closed this month are: 8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 18, 22, 23, 28, 29, and 30 August.

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Pictured: The vaccine centre will be closed on 11 days this month to prepare for the booster programme.

If the time provided for a second dose appointment is inconvenient, islanders can walk in at a more convenient date and time provided it has been 28 days since their first jab.

The walk-in appointments started last week, with 219 islanders in total taking the opportunity to get their jabs this way.

Meanwhile, on Monday this week, 30 people got their first dose of the covid vaccine in the Royal Square through the Government’s 'Rock Up' mobile vaccination unit.

The Vaccination Programme's Operations Lead, Ross Barnes, described the walk-in week as "very successful", adding: "We will now extend this for the whole of August and offer walk-in appointments for both first and second doses. Islanders are also welcome to come with their friends and only need to spare about 20 minutes of their day."

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Pictured: Vaccines are being made available around the island as part of a mobile unit initiative by Government.

He continued: "As we approach the final stages of the current vaccine programme, we will be closing the Vaccination Centre at Fort Regent for a few days every week to allow us to fully prepare for the booster programme.

"However, islanders are still able to go and get their first dose at any of the Rock-Up mobile clinics which will be open seven days a week for the next two weeks, and can walk in for their first or second dose at Fort Regent on any of the open days. Islanders are able to see the full schedule online or can book an appointment if preferred."

Health Minister Deputy Richard Renouf added: "It is great to see that 85% of adult islanders have had at least one dose and are making use of how easy it is to get vaccinated.

"If any islanders are feeling uncertain about the vaccine, they are welcome to visit one of the mobile clinics or the Vaccine Centre to speak with a healthcare worker."

"I'd also like to remind those islanders who are turning 18 in the next three months that they are also welcome to go and get their first dose at a mobile clinic or at Fort Regent's Vaccination Centre."

Dr Ivan Muscat MBE, the medic leading the island's pandemic response, previously confirmed to Express that a booster programme was planned to start in September or October. 

He said it should follow the same order as the initial vaccination programme.

“The booster programme has scheduled various sub-groups and the order in which they will be vaccinated,” Dr Muscat explained. “Largely it’s going to be people over the age of 50 and those at risk, in addition to health care staff.”

Explaining the reason for prioritising those groups, Dr Muscat said: “There are two reasons for that, the original programme was designed to prevent serious disease, and therefore was aimed initially at those most at risk and then working down the risk group and of course, that way of thinking still holds."

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