Thank you for your interest in this story

To continue reading this article, subscribe to the Stray Ferret for as little as £1 a week

Already a subscriber? Log in here.

Dec 2021

Last Updated: 01/12/2021

Health

Great Yorkshire Showground aiming to give 20,000 booster vaccines

by John Plummer

| 01 Dec, 2021

The Harrogate showground will re-open as a vaccine site on Monday. It was due to operate for just a fortnight but the Stray Ferret understands this could be extended until March as the government aims to speed up the vaccine programme.

The vaccine centre at the Great Yorkshire Showground.

The Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine site in Harrogate is aiming to give 20,000 covid booster jabs in two weeks.

It was revealed yesterday the site would re-open on Monday and that people eligible for booster jabs could now book appointments using the NHS booking service.

The showground clinics are being run by Yorkshire Health Network, an organisation which represents GP practices in the Harrogate district.

The site was scheduled to be open until December 22 but the Stray Ferret understands it could now continue to operate until March as the government bids to speed up the vaccine programme. However, this has yet to be confirmed.

In addition to the showground site, eligible patients can continue to get booster jabs from other locations in the Harrogate district, including Ripon racecourse, Homecare Pharmacy site in Chain Lane, Knaresborough and the Memorial Hall in Pateley Bridge.

Dr Cath Dixon, executive chair and clinical lead of Yorkshire Health Network, said:

"Firstly, I want to say thank you to the teams at the Yorkshire Event Centre for their stellar support, along with the ranks of vaccinators, clinic staff and volunteers who are incredibly dedicated and help make this all possible.

“I'm delighted we've been able to secure this additional capacity to deliver the vaccination programme in the Harrogate district, with a range of options now available for patients.”

Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine site to reopen for just two weeks

Exclusive: Great Yorkshire Showground gave 117,000 vaccines in six months

Great Yorkshire Showground vaccine site starts taking booster bookings

Heather Parry, managing director of Yorkshire Event Centre, added:

“We are proud to play a part in the drive to ensure the nation stays safe against covid, by supporting the NHS as we have done throughout the pandemic.”

The government announced yesterday that vaccinations will be offered to all adults over-18 and the gap between a second dose and booster would be cut to three months.

However, the NHS is currently still only offering appointments to over-40s. The NHS has advised people to wait to be contacted for booster appointments.

The move comes as 17.8 million booster vaccines have been given nationally, according to government data.

No figures are currently available for the number given in the Harrogate district.

Thank you for your interest in this story

Great Yorkshire Showground aiming to give 20,000 booster vaccines

Read more: