Asda to offer in-store Covid-19 vaccinations
Asda will become the first UK supermarket to offer in-store Covid-19 vaccinations after striking a deal with public health officials.
The vaccination centre at the grocer’s Birmingham store will operate 8am to 8pm, seven days a week, and will have the capacity to administer 250 jabs per day.
The site is the first Asda pharmacy to be approved to support the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine rollout. Asda will convert its George clothing department to make room for the vaccination centre.
Priority groups will be contacted by the NHS about their jab, and will be given the option to select the Asda store as their preferred location from 25 January.
The grocer is working with Public Health England and NHS England to assess other stores in its estate that could support the vaccination programme.
The company has also offered health authorities the full use of its 238 in-store pharmacies to offer the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine, which is easier to transport and store.
Asda chief executive Roger Burnley said: “We are incredibly proud to provide this service and are keen to do all we can to help the NHS and Government accelerate the rollout of the vaccination programme.
“We have an extensive nationwide logistics network that could support the storage and distribution of the vaccine and our highly-trained pharmacy colleagues are experienced in delivering large vaccination programmes, having recently provided nearly 200,000 flu jabs to members of the public.
“We are on hand to provide the NHS with any practical support required so that more people can quickly receive the vaccine.”