Cuts to opening hours at Lincolnshire mass vaccination centres

NHS Lincolnshire CCG is urging people to get their booster jabs if they haven’t already, as pop-up sessions are again organised across the county – and hours are changed at the two mass vaccination centres.

Due to the success of the booster campaign locally, the Princess Royal Sports Arena in Boston and Lincolnshire Showground, the county’s two mass vaccination centres, have temporarily changed their opening hours.

In operation until January 31, they will now be open from 2pm to 7.30pm on weekdays, with weekend hours remaining unchanged from 8am to 7.30pm.

You will still be able to have a walk-in vaccination at these two sites, though organising an appointment through the National Booking System is still the preferred method.

It comes as national statistics show 61% of those who are in an ICU bed across the country have had no vaccination, and of the remaining patients, 90% have not had their booster.

United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust declared a ‘critical incident’ in the New Year after huge staff shortages saw more than 600 Lincolnshire hospital staff off work with COVID-19 every day in the Christmas build-up.

In light of this, the NHS Lincolnshire Clinical Commissioning Group is calling for anyone who is yet to be jabbed to come forward sooner rather than later.

Rebecca Neno, director of COVID and influenza vaccination programmes for NHS Lincolnshire CCG, said: “Across the country and in Lincolnshire, we are seeing the numbers of people with COVID-19 in our hospitals increase.

“This uplift in numbers is mostly amongst younger patients, many of whom are not fully vaccinated and, in some cases, have not been vaccinated at all.

“This is adding to the pressures that are being experienced by the NHS across Lincolnshire, and I would urge anyone who has not had either their first or second vaccinations or booster to come forward now – it is never too late to get vaccinated.”

A further round of pop-up walk-in sessions have been launched this week, offering any eligible person the chance to get vaccinated without an appointment.

For booster doses, eligible people are all over 18s and those aged 16 and over with a health condition that makes them high risk, and for first and second doses it is all over 16s, as well as 12 to 15-year-olds with the consent of a parent/guardian.

The pop-up sessions will be at the following sites:

• Tuesday, January 11, between 10am and 7pm – Springfields Events and Conference Centre, Spalding
• Wednesday, January 12, between 9.30am and 2.30pm – Wrangle Parish Hall
• Wednesday, January 12, between 10am and 7pm – Bud Robinson Community Centre, Lincoln
• Thursday, January 13, between 10am and 7pm – Engine Shed, Lincoln
• Thursday, January 13, between 1pm and 7pm – St Marys Church Hall, Long Sutton
• Friday, January 14, between 10am and 7pm – Stamford Arts Centre
• Sunday, January 16, between 10am and 4pm – Stanhope Hall, Horncastle