Vaccinations to be offered from Newcastle’s historic Grainger Market

Members of the public will be able to get a vaccine without an appointment each Monday, between 10am and 5pm, when the facility opens up inside the Grade I listed building on Monday 22 November.

The facility will offer first, second, and booster doses of the vaccine, with anybody aged 16 and above able to attend. Staff will also be on hand to offer guidance and support, while British Sign Language interpreters will also be in place for at least one session per month.

From December, it is hoped the same unit will be open on Saturdays to provide a bespoke vaccination walk-in clinic for pregnant women and children aged to 12 to 15 who are yet to receive a dose from school immunisation programmes or appointments through the national booking system.

Cllr John-Paul Stephenson, Newcastle City Council cabinet member for Public Health and Culture, said: “It is essential that we continue to make the vaccination programme as accessible as possible for people right across the city, and we continue to work with the NHS and Newcastle GP Services to achieve this.

“We have clinics and roaming vaccine buses across Newcastle, many community pharmacies, and large vaccination centres like the Centre for Life and Newcastle Racecourse. But we are looking to increase access to vaccines and we’re really pleased to be able to make this offer from the Grainger Market.

“Vaccines continue to be our best defence from the virus, and I would urge anybody who is yet to come forward, or is due a second or booster dose of the vaccine, to attend their nearest vaccination site as soon as they can.”

Lorna Smith, Deputy Director of Public Health for Newcastle, said: “We know that vaccines are effective at reducing our chances of becoming seriously ill if we are infected with Covid-19, and it also helps to reduce transmission.

“This protection from vaccines will be essential as we head into the colder winter months as other illness spread and only add the pressures our health services already find themselves under.

“Partners across the city have made enormous progress with the vaccination programme, but we still have a long way to go to make sure more people are vaccinated, and those eligible come forward for a booster.

“The Grainger Market site will be another welcome addition to the offer available to residents, and I would encourage anybody who finds themselves in the city centre on a Monday to pop in and get vaccinated.”

Anybody yet to be vaccinated can find details of all locations across the city offering vaccines at www.newcastle.gov.uk/covidvaccine

Second doses of the vaccine should be taken no sooner than eight weeks from your first. If you are over the age of 40, or have underlying health conditions, you can also receive a booster vaccine to further increase your protection from the virus if it has been six months, or 182 days, since your second dose. Adult carers, residents in care homes for older adult, frontline health and social care workers, and adults living with someone who is immunosuppressed can also receive a booster dose when eligible.

Currently, 12 to 15 year olds can receive a vaccine through school or by booking an appointment through the national booking system at www.nhs.uk.

While vaccines are effective at protecting people and saving lives, everybody should continue to be cautious and take steps to further reduce the risk to themselves and their loved ones. Consider wearing a face covering in shops and on public transport, keep a safe distance from others, wash your hands regularly, meet others outdoors where possible or let fresh air in when meeting indoors, and if you do develop symptoms or return a positive Lateral Flow Device test, self-isolate immediately and book a PCR test at https://www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.