City of Bristol College hosted two NHS vaccination clinics for 16- and 17-year-old students last week.
The first walk-in centre was at our College Green Centre on Wednesday and the second was hosted at South Bristol Skills Academy (SBSA) on Thursday.
The process was straightforward and took no more than 40 minutes for most participants. Those walking into the Centre were invited to a vaccination station; where they were informed about the process, had their details confirmed and then received the Pfizer vaccine.
After receiving the vaccine, all participants were asked to wait for 15 minutes before leaving to ensure there were no side effects or reactions.
The SBSA walk-in centre also earned the attention of ITV News West Country, who paid the Centre a visit in the afternoon and interviewed a handful of students and staff and filmed them receiving the jab. This was an opportunity to share why they found it important to get the vaccine.
One student, Animal Care Level 1 learner Jamie-Leigh Hallier, said the reason she wanted to get vaccinated is for her grandad.
She said: “This January, my grandad died from Covid-19 and, when I found out these clinics were running, I didn’t want to put others at risk so decided to get it.”
Jamie-Leigh, who admitted she had a phobia of needles, has already had coronavirus herself in January at the same time as her grandfather.
The Cabinet Office was also present at SBSA taking photos and distributing promotional material to encourage young people to go out and get vaccinated.
The walk-in clinics saw around 100 students get vaccinated across the two centres. Clare Armour, Programme Lead for the Covid-19 Vaccination Programme in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire, said: “Our local vaccination programme is working hard to make it as easy as possible for young people to have the Covid-19 vaccine. We’re hugely grateful to City of Bristol College for supporting these vaccination clinics for their students.
“Getting vaccinated will help us all get life back to normal by reducing the spread of the virus and protecting your family and friends. Please don’t delay – vaccines are allowing us to live safely with this virus without restrictions and enjoy our freedoms.”
The partnership between the College and the NHS was formed to address the low number of 16- and 17-year-old receiving the dose in the UK, with around 50% of the age group vaccinated at present.
Did you miss out on your opportunity to get the vaccine? To find out where your local NHS vaccination walk-in centre is, visit the NHS Website.
