BORIS Johnson has vowed Brits will not have to travel more than 10 miles to their nearest coronavirus vaccination centre as 1,200 sites plan to open next week.
Mr Johnson revealed at a Downing Street press briefing last night that nearly 1.5million Brits had received their first dose so far as he set out his strategy to defeat the virus.
The PM revealed that a new national booking service for people to be vaccinated will be unveiled – and everyone will be within 10 miles of a jab centre.
He confirmed more than 1,000 GP centres, 223 hospital sites and seven mass vaccination centres are due to open by next week, as part of efforts to hasten the rollout.
The seven “super jab” hubs will be located in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham, Bristol, Surrey and Hertfordshire.
Drive-through vaccination centres will also be made available in the car parks of some Morrisons supermarkets from Monday.
Boris insisted he had “no doubt” that there would be enough supply to offer everyone in the top four vulnerable groups a vaccine by his February 15 deadline.
“We are in a race against time, but I can assure you we are doing everything we can to vaccinate as many people as we can across the whole of the UK,” the PM said.
He admitted his vow to inoculate 13.5 million in five weeks and meet his ambitious target was “very challenging and stretching”.
The new plans would mean that all care home residents should receive their first jab by the end of the month, the PM said.
It came as:
- The UK recorded 52,618 new COVID-19 coronavirus cases and 1,162 additional deaths
- Matt Hancock laid out four criteria for lifting Britain’s lockdown – and said he thinks this third lockdown will be the last
- Cops warned they would step up fines of people not wearing masks and breaking lockdown laws
- Priti Patel backed police in stopping cars or approaching people in parks to tell them to remain at home
- A new Covid drug was revealed today which can slash the amount of time sick people are spending in hospital
- A hospital in Kent declared it may be forced into “refusal or withdrawal of critical care due to resource limitation” as it was struggling so much
Brigadier Phil Prosser – appearing alongside the PM – told how top military battlefield planners will help thousands more to receive the jab in the coming weeks.
He said the strategy was “unparalleled in its scale and complexity” – even after his previous work in war zones in the past.
“We aim to deliver vaccinations as soon after it is supplied as possible, not leaving vast supplies in the warehouse.
“In arms, not on shelves,” he said.
There are 21 roving teams on standby ready to travel anywhere in England to deliver jabs quickly.
NHS boss Simon Stevens said the bulk of the jabs will be through GPs offering it to local patients, but people will also be able to get them through hospital hubs, and mass vaccination centres working 7 days a week.
Meanwhile, GPs will be told to prioritise Covid vaccinations over other treatments.
The PM has set a target of vaccinating up to 13 million of the most vulnerable Brits by the middle of February in a bid to ease the draconian lockdown restrictions.
The NHS needs to reach two million people a week to reach the PM’s goal, but only 300,000 are currently being given out at the moment.
A source said it would take some days before the NHS was delivering jabs in “big numbers”.
A Government spokesman said: “This is the largest vaccination programme in NHS history with complex logistical challenges.
“It is being accelerated every day and vaccinations will be taking place at over 1,000 sites by the end of this week.”
