Pharmacies in England will start launching Covid vaccines as the number of virus deaths in the UK has risen to over 100,000.
The Boots and Superdrug branches will be among the six stores in England that will be able to manage the jabs from Thursday, while the Government aims to achieve the goal of vaccinating all people in the four most vulnerable groups by mid-next month.
Andrews Pharmacy in Macclesfield, Cullimore Chemist in Edgware, North London, Woodside Pharmacy in Telford and Appleton Village Pharmacy in Widnes will be in the first group to distribute the injections, along with Boots in Halifax and Superdrug in Guildford.
Boris Johnson also told lawmakers that distribution “will go 24/7 as soon as possible,” but said that the supply of doses remained the main barrier.
The Scottish government released its vaccine delivery plan on Wednesday night, including details of how many doses it expects to receive each week by the end of May, prompting a row with London, which has refused to publish its numbers.
The six pharmacies were chosen because they can deliver large volumes of vaccine and allow for social distancing, and Health Secretary Matt Hancock said it was “fantastic” for jabs to be available on the main street.
“Pharmacies are at the heart of local communities and will make a big difference in our launch program, offering even more local and convenient places for those who are eligible to take their jab,” he said.
By the end of the month, more than 200 chemists in the community will be able to administer vaccines, according to NHS England.
Pharmacies join the 200 hospitals, around 800 general medicine clinics and seven mass vaccination centers where jabs are already distributed.
Labor leader Sir Keir Starmer urged ministers to go further and use 11,500 pharmacies in England to carry out vaccinations non-stop by the end of next month.
The extensive vaccination service in England comes as the daily death toll in the UK reached a new high on Wednesday, with 1,564 deaths recorded within 28 days of a positive test.
The latest figures mean that more than 100,000 coronavirus deaths have now occurred in the UK, according to official data.