ALL adults across Warrington who have not yet had a coronavirus vaccine are being encouraged to do so over the next two weeks.

Warrington Hospital is holding a drop-in vaccination clinic for all residents aged 18 and above all this working week and next.

No appointments or booking is necessary, with eligible people encouraged to turn up and get their first jabs.

The clinic will be open up to Friday this week, with jabs being administered between 9am and 3pm, and will reopen next Monday, July 12, again running from 9am to 3pm up to Friday.

Leaders of the vaccination programme at the Lovely Lane site say take-up rates have slowed since the vaccine was made available to all ages, with the clinic opened to combat this.

Jonny Brown, deputy vaccination service manager, said: “Vaccinations at Warrington Hospital have been running since December last year, and we are just about to pass the 52,000 mark.

“However, as we see the cohorts start to decrease, we are not seeing a massive uptake of those aged between 18 and 30.

The drop-in vaccination clinic which has been set up at Warrington Hospital

The drop-in vaccination clinic which has been set up at Warrington Hospital

“There are still people in the older cohorts who are coming forward for the vaccine as well, but particularly since we announced we were starting vaccinating all 18s and over, we have had some interest, but there is still a lot of people in the area that still require their first dose.

“We are not sure why there seems to be that hesitancy really as it is hard to pinpoint any particular reason behind it, but it could be a number of things.

“Maybe it is the fact that as restrictions start to ease, people are struggling to find the time to come, but now is definitely the best time to receive it.”

Warrington and Halton Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has launched an extensive campaign over recent weeks to encourage more people to receive the Covid vaccine.

As well as on weekdays, the clinic will be open this Saturday, July 10, on Saturday, July 17 and on Sunday, July 18 to ensure those working through the week have the chance to get vaccinated.

“As restrictions start to be lifted, we all need to have that first line of defence, and the vaccine is the best form of defence against the virus, especially to try to reduce the number of hospital admissions,” Jonny continued.

“The vaccine is not there to stop you from contracting the virus, but it will certainly reduce the risk of you being hospitalised.

“Looking at the statistics, there is a lot of surge testing going on which will inherently show there are a lot more cases, and we are seeing that rise, but at the same time we are not seeing that rise in hospital admissions as we have seen in previous peaks.

The drop-in vaccination clinic which has been set up at Warrington Hospital

The drop-in vaccination clinic which has been set up at Warrington Hospital

“Evidence suggests that is due to the roll out of the vaccination programme, and in order to make sure that protection goes as far afield as it possibly can, we need to encourage as many people to come forward that have not already had a first dose as we can.

“If you are hesitant, we have the clinical staff here to address any questions or concerns you may have.

“We have got the people and resources on hand to make the vaccination process as easy as possible for you – we have a hot desk set up at the main entrance to make everything easy to find, it is easy to book in for a vaccine, it is a relatively smooth process and there is free parking available.

“It really is as simple as that.”

Those wishing to receive the vaccine at the hospital do not need to bring their NHS number with them.

Although it is not necessary, pre-booked slots can be arranged by visiting warrington.nhsbookings.com

Residents are encouraged to inform friends and family about the service, and clinicians will be on hand to answer any questions that people may have about the vaccine.