Elderly people told to delay COVID vaccines because of snow

A hospital trust has told elderly people to delay their coronavirus vaccine appointments because of snow.

Newcastle NHS Hospitals Foundation Trust said people should avoid the “risk” of travelling to one of its key vaccination centres because of the bad weather.

It posted on Twitter on Thursday: “We’re advising older people who are booked for their COVID-19 vaccine at the Centre for Life today to rebook for another day when the weather is better.

“It’s easy to do by calling 119. No need to risk travelling in the bad weather.”

Newcastle’s Centre for Life is one of seven mass vaccination centres that opened in England earlier this week.

The government aims to have vaccinated all 14 million people in the four most vulnerable groups by mid-February.

Those who are eligible for a vaccine will be contacted and invited to make an appointment through a new national booking service.

This gives them the option of having a vaccine at a pharmacy or in a GP-led vaccination centre.

Watch: High street pharmacies begin COVID-19 vaccines

By the end of the month, more than 200 community chemists with capacity for 1,000 doses a week will be able to give vaccines, according to NHS England.

The pharmacies join the 200 hospitals, 800 GP clinics and the seven mass vaccination centres where jabs are already being handed out.

On Wednesday, Boris Johnson also announced vaccines will “soon” be administered 24 hours a day.

The prime minister told MPs that health secretary Matt Hancock will set out details of the plan, but didn’t say when this would be.

Watch: What you can and can't do during England's third national lockdown