ASDA is to become the first supermarket to provide in-store coronavirus vaccinations.

The grocer confirmed it will start to give Covid-19 jabs to the public from January 25.

⚠️ Read our coronavirus live blog for the latest news & updates

Asda is to turn part of one store into a vaccination centre

2

Asda is to turn part of one store into a vaccination centreCredit: BPM Media

Asda will operate the vaccination centre using the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine from an in-store pharmacy in Birmingham.

The jabs will be given by qualified Asda pharmacy colleagues to priority groups identified by the NHS.

It comes after rival Morrisons confirmed it will turn its car parks into drive-through coronavirus vaccine centres.

Boots, meanwhile, become the first high street chain to offer coronavirus jabs this week.

2

Asda customers will still need to wait for their NHS letter to get the jab – they won’t be able to contact the store directly for one.

Once you’ve got your letter, you should have the option to select the Asda store as your vaccination location.

Asda confirmed to The Sun that in-store vaccines will only be available in its Birmingham branch for now.

But it says it has also offered the use of its pharmacies and qualified pharmacists to support the rollout of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine programme.

The supermarket will use its George department to make space for the vaccination centre, which will operate 8am to 8pm, seven days a week and have the capacity to administer 250 jabs per day.

Roger Burnley, Asda CEO and president, said: “We are incredibly proud to provide this service and are keen to do all we can to help the NHS and Government accelerate the rollout of the vaccination programme.

“We have an extensive nationwide logistics network that could support the storage and distribution of the vaccine and our highly-trained pharmacy colleagues are experienced in delivering large vaccination programmes, having recently provided nearly 200,000 flu jabs to members of the public. 

“We are on hand to provide the NHS with any practical support required so that more people can quickly receive the vaccine.”

Mr Burnley wrote to Asda’s customers this morning to update on the latest coronavirus restrictions. 

In an email, he said: “It’s crucial that we all play our part, support one another, and help take the pressure off the NHS.”

Asda has around 600 supermarkets across the UK, including 238 in-store pharmacies.

All supermarkets are allowed to stay open during the third lockdown in England with the latest restrictions expected to stay in place until at least mid-February.

The third lockdown was announced due to rising cases of coronavirus, sparked by a new strain in the south of England.

The UK suffered its second deadliest day so far in the pandemic yesterday, with 1,243 fatalities reported.

The total number of infections is now 3,164,051 after 45,533 more tested positive.

Supermarket lockdown rules for Asda, Aldi, Lidl, Tesco, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and M&S.

Are toy shops like Smyths, Argos and The Entertainer essential and are they open during lockdown? Here’s what you need to know.

Keen to do some DIY? We explain whether shops such as B&Q and Homebase are open in lockdown.

ASDA delivery drivers spearhead a nationwide initiative to help combat loneliness around the country

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

You May Also Like

Could a local digital currency save YOUR High Street? 

Little over a decade ago, local currencies were being touted as the…

Home repossessions ‘banned until April’ but bailiffs will be able to seize items and cars

A BAN on home repossessions is set to be extended until April…

Borrowers face ‘lender lottery’ as 323,000 payment freezes end soon

Hundreds of thousands of people still on breaks from their mortgages and…

Amazon’s Black Friday deals start earlier than ever with £100 off Huawei laptops

AMAZON has launched its Black Friday deals earlier than ever before with…