Southsea Medical Centre cancels its latest vaccination event due to 'staff illness'

Southsea Medical Centre has postponed its vaccination drive on Saturday due to the staffing problems.

However, bosses at the health hub, in Carlisle Road, have insisted it remains busy as usual at the centre – and that jabs will be available again next week.

Operations manager Andy McKie told The News: ‘The vaccination day has been postponed due to illness. It’s only the one day that has been postponed and we will be back next week.

‘As per normal, if they need their jabs early they can book on the central booking centre. There are chemists doing them and places like St James.

‘We hoping to be back to normal next week and then ready to issue people with their third booster jabs once the government gives us the go-ahead to begin this.’

Portsmouth’s main vaccination centre at the St James’s Hospital site, in Milton, is open for walk-in appointments for those seeking either their first or second jab.

Likewise, a number of chemists across the area are also available to take pre-booked vaccination appointments.

To arrange for a coronavirus vaccination, see the NHS website or call 119 to set up an appointment over the phone.

Latest figures released by the NHS show that 77.1 per cent of people in Portsmouth – some 146,494 residents – have received their first dose of the vaccine.

While in Fareham, 88,711 people – or 90.3 per cent – have had their first jab, with Havant recording 92,410 jabs (88.2 per cent) and Gosport seeing 59,309 people jabbed (87.3 per cent).

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