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Over 70,000 Covid vaccine appointments up for grabs across the South East this Easter weekend  

Thousands of covid vaccine appointments are up for grabs across the South East of England this Easter weekend, as the NHS encourages those eligible to come forward.

Vaccination centres and sites are gearing up to protect all those who are eligible, with vaccinations available for the whole family, including 5 to 11-year olds, booster jabs for all adults and spring doses.

This Good Friday (15/4), Lordswood Healthy Living Centre, Sutlan Road, in Chatham, will be giving away free easter eggs to anyone under the age of 16 who is eligible for receiving their jab, whilst a vaccination bus will be located outside Mithai Box in Chalvey, Slough and outside Wilko in Slough High Street on Saturday (16/4).

Caroline Reid, Regional Director of Commissioning and SRO for the Flu and Covid vaccination programme across the South East, said: “Whether it’s your first, second, third or spring booster jab, the NHS is ready this bank holiday weekend to get you and your loved ones protected.

“We’ve already had an amazing uptake of the spring booster, protecting the most vulnerable to the virus, and have 33,000 people, including our youngest eligible groups, already booked in over the long weekend.

“However, with covid infections still high and thousands of slots still up for grabs, it is important people come forward and protect themselves with appointments being available to book through the online booking service or by calling 119. You may also be contacted by your GP practice.”

Some convenient vaccine walk-ins are also available which families can find through the NHS grab a jab website.

The call for people to come forward this Easter to have their first, booster or spring dose comes as the latest ONS coronavirus infection survey shows that infection rates have continued to rise, including in older groups and in every part of the country in recent weeks, with 1 in 13 people infected in the week to 2 April.

Since the NHS made history when Margaret Keenan received the first jab outside of a clinical trial in December 2020, more than 19 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccination (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th doses) have been delivered in the South East of England alone – currently, the second highest region in England.