Saturday 18 December saw 33,000 people across Kent and Medway get the Covid-19 vaccine - our biggest ever vaccination day. The previous high was 28,000 in March.
Adding capacity to get people boosted
In just one week, capacity in the county has more than doubled. Thanks to the hard work of everyone involved in the programme more than 196,000 appointments have been available for the seven days, from Monday 10 December.
Our aim is to have similar capacity through the next two weeks so everyone who wants a booster vaccination can have one.
Existing sites are drafting in more staff, upping their hours and running extra days; and we have a number of new sites being set up. Below is a sample of what’s happening across Kent and Medway:
- The army are helping at sites in Dartford and Maidstone
- In Swanley clinics will run three extra days a week
- Pentagon in Chatham and Saga in Ramsgate are running seven days and longer hours
- Rochester Healthy Living Centre will run weekend clinics
- The Medway South team are opening a clinic at Reach Healthcare in Walderslade.
- Strood are adding Sunday clinics
- Ashford Stour is adding Sunday clinics
- Folca in Folkestone will run 7 days
- Maidstone Central are upping capacity by 50%
- Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust are setting up new clinics are in Sheppey and Tunbridge Wells.
- Most hospital hubs are standing up again too with a focus on their staff, the immediate family members of their staff and anyone their staff members live with; plus health and care workers from other organisations.
How to get your vaccines
The majority of appointments are bookable through the National Booking Service online or by calling 119. More of our GP-run vaccination sites are also being added to the national booking service to make it easier for people to find somewhere get their jab.
The service is very busy and available slots get taken quickly, but please keep trying as more appointments are added every day.
Vaccinating housebound patients
The roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine to housebound patients is under way across Kent and Medway and 60 per cent of housebound patients have now been vaccinated across the county. Anyone still needing to have a vaccine, who is housebound, should expect to have received it before 31 December. People will be contacted, not necessarily by their own GP team, to confirm a date and time for their vaccination to take place.
Not had a vaccination yet?
It’s not too late for people to have their first or second vaccination and then to have a booster jab. Please use the national booking service to book a slot: online or call 119
Any errors in your vaccine record?
If you have a question about a Covid-19 vaccination record, you need to contact the Vaccination Data Resolution Service, which is there to resolve missing or incorrect vaccination records for people vaccinated in England, Scotland or Wales who have a NHS number and are registered with a GP practice in England.
If you believe there is missing or incorrect Covid-19 vaccination data, please call 119, selecting option one and then option four, and ask the call agent to make a referral to the VDRS team on your behalf. The VDRS team will aim to call you back within 21 days.
More of your vaccine questions answered
Visit our frequently asked questions page for more information about the vaccine programme including local services and links to national information.