Prime minister Boris Johnson visited a Boots vaccination site in his west London constituency of Uxbridge on Monday (January 10) -- as the pharmacy chain celebrates its anniversary of supporting the NHS Covid-19 vaccination drive.
During the visit, the prime minister met with some pharmacists who have been administering Covid-19 booster jabs to patients.
Since opening the first vaccination site at its Halifax store in January 2021, Boots UK has administered over 1.4 million Covid-19 jabs, and continues to offer booster doses at over 80 pharmacies, the company said in a statement.
Continuing its support for the Covid-19 booster programme, Boots has doubled appointment capacity and added a small number of new sites since December 2021.
Boots vaccination programme director Nick Sunderland said: “We are so proud of our pharmacists who have worked incredibly hard to support the national effort to accelerate the Covid-19 booster vaccination programme.
“It is thanks to them that we have been able to increase our appointment capacity and it is great to have the prime minister recognise the important role that community pharmacy has played in the success of the Covid-19 vaccination programme to date.”
Calling it an honour to work for the Covid-19 vaccination programme, Boots Uxbridge store manager Karthick Chakrapani said: “Our patients tell us that they value the opportunity to get their booster at their local pharmacy – it is convenient and an environment they are already familiar with.
“As healthcare professionals, we know that the booster is vitally important in reducing the chances of people getting seriously unwell as a result of Covid-19 and we encourage anyone who has not yet had their booster to book an appointment as soon as possible.”
Cat Smith, Labour MP for Lancaster and Wyre