The company running Knaresborough’s new vaccination centre plans to administer 10,000 jabs a week from next month and create a “carnival atmosphere”.
The centre, which is run by Knaresborough-based Homecare Pharmacy Services, is made up of two modular units at the old Lidl site on York Road.
During Saturday’s opening day, which started at 8.30am and finished at 8.30pm, pharmacy staff got the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab in the arms of 850 people.
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However, many people turned up too early on the opening day, causing delays, and the company hopes that when such teething problems are overcome it will be able to inoculate more than 1,400 people a day.
That ambitious target is only just a little behind the mass vaccination site at the Great Yorkshire Showgrouund in Harrogate, which currently gives out 1,800 vaccines a day.
Homecare Pharmacy Services has urged people to turn up only a maximum of 5 minutes early and to also bring their NHS numbers to help speed up the process.
It was a sunny and warm day on Saturday for people queueing but the weather could easily worsen. Pharmacy boss Jason Baskind told the Stray Ferret about his plans to keep spirits up:
“We would like to create a bit of a carnival atmosphere for those waiting. We will of course control social distancing but we want some entertainment in the car park.
“The town choir and other musicians will come to the vaccine centre and hopefully that takes attention away from the queueing.
“We are told that vaccine supply will improve significantly by the end of March so by April we hope to be open every day and give out 10,000 jabs a week.”
