MORE THAN eighty people who volunteered at a Covid vaccination clinic at Basingstoke Fire Station have called for the town to get another facility to help with booster jabs.
The volunteers are among hundreds to sign the petition calling on the Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to set up another vaccine centre to make it easier for residents to get their booster jabs.
It comes after The Gazette reported how some people in the town were being sent to the likes of Andover, Fleet or Reading to receive their top-up doses in recent months.
Rima Amin and 81 other kind-hearted residents who gave up their time to help out at the highly successful clinic at the town's fire station are making the call.
Speaking to The Gazette, the 30-year-old, who volunteered as a steward once a week for seven months earlier this year, said: "The petition is calling for more facilities to be set up in the Basingstoke area. We think Jameson House is doing an absolutely incredible job but we are concerned they may be at capacity with the number of residents struggling to get appointments.
"The provision isn't good enough so we are calling for an additional centre to help with the rollout. We also know that there isn't a walk-in centre.
"There is a big difference in terms of the ability of people to get their vaccine and we know that also as people get a letter to get their booster from the NHS they have been directed outside of the county.
"We can see the impact of the closures has meant that people are struggling to get an appointment."
Rima, who volunteered as a steward, said that she was concerned that people would not be able to get booster doses as they would not be able to get to the centres it was being offered to them at. "Some people work full time and can't get time off to go to Reading or wherever it might be," she said.
"It will also cause a delay in people getting their vaccines as people will try to wait [for appointments in Basingstoke]."
Basingstoke Fire Station, which was run by Solent NHS Trust, closed in September. However, there is now more pressure on the vaccination system as the booster jab rollout is ramped up, whilst 16-17 years olds become eligible for second doses and anyone over the age of 12 can get a first dose.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said earlier this week that everyone over the age of 18 will be invited for a booster dose by the end of January.
Rima, who said she started volunteering because she "felt that we needed to come together and get it done", continued: "All these people are really want to help. I think it is an incredible response that they have all volunteered to do this.
"We are are here and ready, we just need the facility and the CCG to provide that for us," the policy manager from Basingstoke added.
"We have 82 vaccinators, volunteers, clinical assessors, all who helped with the rollout at the fire station and they have all come forward and said that we are ready to help."
You can view the petition here.
The CCG has been in contact with Rima to say they are passing the concerns of residents on to the clinical lead at the vaccination centre, whilst Maria Miller, the town's MP, is due to meet her later this month.
The Hampshire CCG has been contacted for comment by The Gazette.
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