Lincolnshire coronavirus: More vaccination centres coming

East Lindsey District Council leader Craig Leyland moved to reassure residents, saying “this is not the full list of sites in ELDC.

“We are assured by the NHS that a further five vaccination sites will go live week commencing January 11 across Lincolnshire, including sites that will serve our coastal communities.”

Lord Gary Porter, leader of South Holland District Council, has also suggested that vaccines could be administered from Springfield’s Shopping Centre in Spalding.

He tweeted that an “unconfirmed (but trusted) source” said the rollout from the Camel Gate outlet mall would start from January 16.

The initial list of initial vaccine centres on the NHS England website has come under fire from Councillor Porter, who expressed his anger about the “lack of information” about the roll-out plan for the vaccine.

To assure residents in East Lindsey. This is not the full list of sites in ELDC. We are assured by the NHS that a further 5 vaccination sites will go live week commencing 11th January across Lincolnshire including sites that will serve our coastal communities. https://t.co/syrs8XGHQ4

— Craig Leyland (Cllr) Leader Eldc (@craigjleyland) January 7, 2021

He tweeted the minister in charge of COVID-19 vaccination Nadhim Zahawi that South Holland was “being overlooked.”

“We have a disproportionately elderly and sick population, yet still no confirmed plan for the roll out of jabs,” he said.

He joins other council leaders in calling for the government to reveal its plans sooner rather than later.

Unconfirmed (but trusted source) says the vaccine roll out will start at Springfield’s on Saturday 16th of January,although no idea of the number of doses. Also our GPs are geared up to roll out locally, but again no idea of doses.@NHSEngland just publish what the plan is please

— Gary Porter (@garyportercbe) January 8, 2021

The government said that hundreds of new sites will be coming next week as part of their plans to give 13 million of the UK’s most vulnerable the jab by mid-February, but hasn’t said where they will be.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he wanted every resident to have a vaccination hub within 10 miles by January 15.

Health bosses in Lincolnshire are pushing the “stay at home” message of the lockdown during the vaccine rollout, as Lincolnshire’s infection rates “hang in the balance”.

The rate has been consistently between 250-300 per 100,000 people over the past two weeks and bosses say it could go either way in the near future, depending how people behave.

Government bosses are telling public health officials that although the public is behaving better than the November lockdown, they’re not as well behaved as the March one.

“You’ve just got to look at other places how quickly London are parts of the South East accelerated,” said Lincolnshire County Council’s director for public health Derek Ward.

He added his voice to those calling for more information, which he hoped would start coming more regularly from Monday. NHS England has been asked for comment.