Covid-19: Newmarket Racecourse to host mass vaccination event

Up to 10,000 people will be vaccinated against Covid-19 on Sunday at Newmarket Racecourse

Up to 10,000 people could receive jabs in a single day at a venue on Sunday to help protect them against Covid-19.

The mass vaccination day will take place at Newmarket Racecourse, Suffolk, but people must have an appointment.

Details are still being confirmed for the event, which is part of a rollout to ensure everyone eligible has had boosters by the end of January.

It has come as Suffolk's chief nurse said she "desperately needed more volunteers" so everyone could be seen.

"One of the reasons we're not releasing any details yet around timings and booking slots, is because we're still trying to firm up volunteer vaccinators and stewards," said Lisa Nobes.

"As you can imagine with 10,000 people attending the site, we're going to need a lot of stewards.

"We had such an amazing volunteer workforce during lockdown when we started doing the vaccine programme, but understandably people have gone back to work and people's lives have changed," she said.

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The government has set a target for everyone to get their boosters within the next few weeks since the emergence of the Omicron variant.

It has already been identified in the neighbouring counties of Essex and Norfolk.

Newmarket Racecourse opened as a vaccination centre throughout the pandemic

Ms Nobes said Newmarket would be the first of many events planned to allow people to receive their first, second and booster doses of the vaccine.

Plans for more pop-up clinics and bus events were also under way to take vaccines as close to people's doorsteps as possible.

"We're in the top five nationally for delivering boosters and some of that has been because we've been able to get close to people," said Ms Nobes.

As part of health plans, a walk-in clinic is being held on Wednesday in the part of Suffolk with the highest infection rate.

All three doses of the vaccine will be available at Moreton Hall Community Centre in Bury St Edmunds until 17:30 GMT.