The drive to get more people vaccinated continues and further important initiatives are planned, Health Minister Robin Swann has stated.
Speaking after the Big Jab Weekend concluded, the Minister thanked everyone who had contributed to its success.
“The vaccination drive will continue on a number of fronts. This next phase will include a sustained focus on localised pop-up walk-in clinics, both in high footfall locations and in areas where accessibility issues and other barriers may have impacted on take-up.
“The Big Jab Weekend has proven that there is still a strong demand for vaccination. Our aim will be to be bring forward a series of further opportunities at community level.
“There will also be a big focus on further and higher education in September, as well as other take-up promotions.
“The number of participating pharmacies offering vaccination appointments will also be expanding.”
From today (Monday), vaccination opportunities will include:
– An ongoing rolling programme of localised walk-in clinics continuing into September. For more information on locations, check NI Direct https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/
– Vaccination by appointment at around 50 participating pharmacies. More pharmacies will be joining the programme. Further details on pharmacy bookings are available on the Health and Care NI website
http://www.healthandcareni.
– The mass vaccination centres will be winding down their work in the coming weeks, as the buildings return to their normal roles. However, up until mid-September, they will continue to do walk-in second dose vaccinations and first doses for 16 and 17 year olds.
– The vaccination centre inside the SSE Arena Belfast closed on Sunday. From Tuesday 24 August it will move outside the SSE Arena to the overflow car park, at the Water’s Edge, to continue delivering second dose vaccinations and first doses for 16 and 17 year olds.
The Health Minister said: “I want to pay tribute to everyone involved in our vaccination programme. It is a huge collective effort to bring protection against COVID-19 to as many people as possible.
“My thanks go to everyone who played a part in the Big Jab Weekend. That includes, of course, the vaccinator teams as well as all those who worked behind the scenes to organise and promote it. There was a major and concerted effort to publicise the promotion and it worked.
“I also want to highlight the support that was received right across society – including from sports bodies, businesses, education, the community and voluntary sector, local government, trade unions, and many other organisations.”
