Gloucestershire is leading the way when it comes to administering booster vaccinations against Covid-19.

Latest figures from NHS England show the county has the highest uptake for booster jabs in England.

More than 405,000 people have now been boosted in Gloucestershire, around 87 per cent of the eligible population.

Those who have not yet come forward for their booster are now being urged to do so, with booked and drop-in clinics planned at a variety of locations throughout January.

Dr Andy Seymour, clinical chair of NHS Gloucestershire CCG, said: “Our success is testament to our incredible vaccination teams who have been working tirelessly for more than a year to deliver vaccinations to the population of Gloucestershire.

"This has been a truly collaborative effort, with teams across the One Gloucestershire health and care family working together and providing vaccinations through our GP-led PCN vaccination sites, pharmacies, hospital hubs, schools, care homes and various mobile ‘pop-up’ sites. There has also been outstanding support from the voluntary and community sector.

"We can all be rightly proud of what has been achieved, but the job isn’t done yet; our teams are still vaccinating on a daily basis, offering booked and drop-in clinics across the county.

"We’re particularly keen to encourage parents of children aged 12 to 15 to bring them to one of our vaccination sites for a first or second dose, as well as those young adults who weren’t able to get their booster before Christmas because they’d had COVID within the last month.”

The bulk of vaccinations continue to be provided by appointment through the 11 PCN community vaccination centres across the county, but there are walk in clinics and also an increasing number of ‘pop-up’ clinics taking place at community venues even closer to where people live, including mosques or churches, cafes, community centres and homeless centres.

You can also arrange yourr vaccination by appointment at a community pharmacy through the national booking system (NBS) telephone number and website (nhs.uk/covidvaccination or call 119).

Paul Roberts, chief executive of Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust and Vaccine Equity Lead for One Gloucestershire ICS said: “It’s fantastic that so many people in Gloucestershire have come forward for their booster and I congratulate everyone involved for everything they’ve achieved in the last year to protect our population.

"However, we know there are people in our community who haven’t felt able to accept the offer of a vaccine so far and we’re working hard with our partners across the voluntary and community sector to understand the barriers and do what we can to make it easier for people to come forward for a vaccination.

"There is a great team of vaccinators who are out and about almost every day in the local community spending time with people to talk through the issues before they make a decision to have their vaccination, whether that’s a first, second or booster dose.

"If anyone is feeling unsure about whether to have a jab, I’d urge them to pop along to one of our outreach clinics to have a chat with the team, they’re really passionate and enthusiastic about their work and will always be willing to talk through your concerns and help you come to a decision.”

For a full list of drop-in dates, including community outreach clinics, visit the local NHS COVID-19 information portal.