Queues form at Corby pharmacy as people wait for Covid booster

A Corby pharmacy is holding more than double their normal number of Covid booster appointments as people queue outside for their third jab.

Oakley Pharmacy in Charter Court has seen people wait in line for more than half-an-hour at their walk-in clinic, having travelled from across the county and beyond.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson' s address urging the nation to get jabbed to avoid a surge of Omicron variant cases, which he says could overwhelm the NHS.

He has pledged to offer every adult in England a Covid booster before the end of 2021 - which could equate 250,000 jabs in just three weeks in Northamptonshire.

The Oakley Pharmacy pharmacist, who didn't want to be named, said: "We are doing good. We'd normally do 75 appointments a day - now we're well over 150 to 200.

"The public have been good and if they keep it that way we can help them."

He said they were seeing patients from all over the local area including Rushden, Kettering and Market Harborough.

One of those in the queue was Gary Mitchell, 56, who has had two jabs and caught Covid in October.

He said: "Despite the shambolic messaging the British people will do what needs to be done.

"They will queue all day if needs be if the understanding is there.

"I feel sorry for the people who are having to implement it."

Dawn Leigh, 55, from Oundle, had been queuing since just before 10am and had waited for 25 minutes to be called into the pharmacy.

She said: "We both smoke, so if we get it (Covid) it might be bad.

"I work in an after-school club so I want the booster."

Yesterday (Monday) the NHS booking website crashed and thousands queued online to try and book a slot.

From this week anyone aged 18 or over can attend any clinic offering booster doses as long as their second dose was at least three months ago.

Find out where you can have your jab here: https://www.northantstelegraph.co.uk/health/coronavirus/where-and-when-you-can-get-a-covid-booster-jab-today-at-northamptonshire-walk-in-clinics-with-no-appointment-3493652