Covid: Leicester arts centre to host large vaccine hub

The Peepul Centre will be used from 25 January

An arts centre in Leicester is to be used as a major coronavirus vaccination hub.

The Peepul Centre, in Belgrave, will have 36 vaccination stations when it opens later this month.

There are currently 15 sites being used to administer jabs in Leicestershire and Rutland, including the latest to open at Glenfield Hospital.

Health bosses are also aiming to open a hub at Leicester Royal Infirmary on 18 January.

The first vaccinations are due to start at The Peepul Centre, on Orchardson Avenue, on 25 January, said the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Local health leaders said they were able to use more venues following the approval of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which does not need to be stored at such a low temperature.

Details of more hubs are expected to be announced next week

Rebecca Brown, acting chief executive of University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust (UHL) said a "large amount" of staff and patients over 80 had already received a vaccine since the first jabs were given out at Leicester General Hospital on 12 December.

"We now will be focussing much more on staff - not just UHL but across all care and health providers in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland," she said.

• Latest news and stories from the East Midlands

Mrs Brown said the new Glenfield Hospital and Leicester Royal Infirmary hubs would "really help" with getting health workers vaccinated.

She added the government's change of policy in delaying second doses had been "challenging" as many of those affected were elderly.

"They don't always have access to emails or aren't as aware of what's happening in the press, so we have had to have some continuation of second doses where it was clinically appropriate," she said.

The UK's chief medical officers have previously said getting more people vaccinated with the first jab "is much more preferable".

• TESTING: How do I get a virus test?

• LOOK-UP TOOL: How many cases in your area?

• THE R NUMBER: What it means and why it matters

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].