Covid jabs centres close down as NHS staff return to their day jobs - even though 900,000 over-50s still need to get second injection
- Nadhim Zahawi said they will be closed 'in favour of mobile site or walk-in centre'
- The Vaccines Minister said some may be shut in the 'big final push' against Covid
- NHS England's Dr Nikki Kanani added it may be NHS staff are needed elsewhere
- The update comes despite 900,000 over-50s still needing to get the second jab
Covid jab centres could be stood down as NHS staff return to their day jobs, the Vaccines Minister has said.
Nadhim Zahawi said they will be closed 'in favour of a mobile site or a walk-in centre or elsewhere'.
He told a Downing Street press conference last night some could be shut during the 'big final push' to roll out doses to all parts of the community.
NHS England's medical director of primary care Dr Nikki Kanani added it may be that members of a clinical team are needed to do other parts of their day job.
The update comes despite 900,000 over-50s still needing to get their second injections.
Mr Zahawi said more than two million in this age group in England had their first vaccine but noted there are some still yet to have their second.
Nadhim Zahawi (pictured last night) said they will be closed 'in favour of a mobile site or a walk-in centre or elsewhere'
Emily Stone-Wigg, 22, from Derbyshire is pictured getting the Pfizer vaccine at a pop up service in Newcastle on Tuesday
But even though nearly a million are yet to be jabbed, the vaccines minister admitted some centres may be closed in the 'big final push' to all parts of the community.
He said the deployment means you will 'move your inventory to where you need it to go instead of it being in fridges.'
He told a Downing Street press conference: 'It may mean that some vaccinations are stood down in favour of a mobile site or a walk-in centre or elsewhere.'
Dr Kanani added: 'Often it is not that centres are closing, it is that staff are busy vaccinating in other centres or indeed are members of a clinical team doing other parts of their day job.
'It is a good reminder that the NHS workforce has kept delivering on this vaccination programme.
'We have delivered every target that has been set us but we also need to look after our workforce as well, so if you are out and about at vaccination centres getting your vaccine please remember to thank the staff that are there. They are doing a phenomenal job.'
NHS England's medical director of primary care Dr Nikki Kanani (pictured last night) said it may be that members of a clinical team are needed to do other parts of their day job
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Mr Zahawi also mentioned the huge number of over-50s still yet to get jabbed as he claimed the government had been right to delay the lifting of Covid restrictions.
He said: 'Our mission is now to get as many people protected as we can and to protect them as quickly as we can.
'Last week we took the difficult but I think essential decision to pause Step 4 in our road map for four weeks with a review of the data after two weeks - and we will absolutely have that review and share the data with the nation.
'We're going to use these four weeks to give our NHS that bit more time so we can get those remaining jabs in arms of those who really do need them.'
He said there had been more than two million people aged over 50 in England who had been given a first dose but not a second.
But he said in the past two weeks that figure had been brought down to just 900,000.
