Covid booster jab Bristol: More than 1,000 queue up at vaccination walk-in centre

More than 1,000 people are queuing up to have their booster jab at a walk-in vaccination centre in Bristol city centre.

The Bristol Rapid Testing Centre, in St Jude’s, opened at 9am this morning (December 14) - and within two hours hundreds of people of all ages, some with children, were lining up to go inside.

The queue starts at the front entrance of the site in Wellington Road and snakes up and down the car park of the centre and the adjoining Office outlet shop before going down Wade Street.

It then turns left into Wellington Road and back into the centre park, and back out again.

Queue marshals have said the waiting time is three hours.

It is the first walk-in site to open in Bristol since the Government pledged to offer a booster jab to all over-18s by the end of this month.

The centre is open for first and second doses, as well as booster vaccines. Both the Pfizer and Astra Zeneca vaccines are available.

People don’t need an appointment to attend.

As local NHS bosses work out how to ramp up the vaccination programme, the walk-in centres around Bristol are still only inviting people aged 40 and over, or those with an underlying health condition, or working in healthcare.

People must also leave at least three months since their second dose before getting a booster.

Bristol Rapid Testing Centre is set to close at 12.30pm, before opening against in the afternoon, from 1.30pm to 5pm.

People in the queue told BristolWorld they were willing to remain in the queue over lunch to keep their place for this afternoon’s session.

Most stand on their phones, some have laptops and appear to be working while they wait.

The next walk-in site to open is Easton Christian Family Centre, in Beaufort Street, Easton tomorrow, from 12noon to 8pm.

The weekend centre at Cabot Circus is no longer open to walk-ins, with booked appointments only.

Yesterday, people in Bristol were complaining about the lack of appointments available this month.

BristolWorld has approached Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire Clinical Commissioning Group for an update on the vaccination programme.