The Covid-19 vaccination bus is back on the road

Liverpool City Council and the local NHS and are teaming up with Arriva once again to bring the NHS Covid-19 vaccination bus back onto the streets of Liverpool.

Last year, the city’s vaccination bus provided 48 community outreach events across 18 different locations and saw over 10,000 people vaccinated on board – many of whom would not have been vaccinated otherwise.

A decision was taken to temporarily retire the bus during the winter months, but with the days now getting lighter and warmer it will be hitting the road once again over the coming weeks, particularly in areas of the city where vaccine take-up has been lower.

The bus will be making the following stops during February and March:

• 12 and 13 February – Anfield Sports & Community Centre, L6 0AG
• 19 and 20 February – Anglican Cathedral, St James Mount, L1 7AZ
• 26 and 27 February – Williamson Square, City Centre
• 5 and 6 March – Old Bus Terminal, The Orient Hotel, L24 2SX
• 12 & 13 March – Newsham Park (by St Francis of Assisi), L6 7UN

First, second and booster doses of the Covid-19 vaccine will be available on the bus for anyone aged 12 or over – which means that parents and kids can get vaccinated together over half term too.

The session will be staffed by clinicians from Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (LUHFT), and will run between 10am – 4pm*.

No appointment is needed – just turn up. Although please note that queues may sometimes close slightly earlier than advertised based on vaccine availability.

Diane Haddock, Associate Director of People and Lead Nurse for Occupational Health at LUHFT said: “We’re really excited to be taking the vaccination bus out into local communities over the coming weeks, and hope that it will enable many more people to access the vaccine closer to home.

“We know that Covid-19 rates were very high over Christmas and in January which meant that a lot of people were unable to get their booster dose when it was first available. But we want to remind people that if it’s been four weeks or more since you had Covid-19, you can now come forwards for vaccination.

“A lot of people think that having the virus means they no longer need to get a vaccination or booster dose, but that’s simply not the case. It’s still really important to be fully vaccinated as it will provide you with the very best protection against any future infection.”

Director of Public Health for Liverpool, Matt Ashton said: “You may have heard that Omicron is milder – but it’s still causing serious illness and disruption to our lives and having an impact on education, health care, employment, how we socialise, and the wider economy.

“Around 70% of all adults in Liverpool have now had two doses of the vaccine, and over 50% have also had a booster dose too – and the data shows it’s working by significantly reducing hospitalisations and subsequent deaths.

“We know there are many reasons why some people may have chosen not to get their vaccine, but we are committed to continuing to work closely with our communities to make sure that the offer is right, and that the risks of not being vaccinated are properly understood.”

“We really do want to help people to make fully informed choices about what’s best for their health– and we would encourage anyone who is feeling unsure about whether to be vaccinated to come along to one of the bus events, and to talk through any concerns they might have with the medical staff on board.”

Dr Fiona Lemmens, GP and Chair of NHS Liverpool Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) said:

“We’re starting to see fewer people becoming seriously ill and hospitalised by Covid-19 which is really good news, but around 30% of adults in our city are still choosing to remain unvaccinated, which remains a big cause for concern.

“Currently, 7 in every 10 adults being treated in a local hospital for Covid-19 are those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated – so the risk has not gone away. Getting vaccinated is still the single, most important thing you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones from becoming unwell this winter, and to support our NHS.”

If the vaccination bus doesn’t offer a convenient location for you, there are also a range of other local drop-in clinics happening daily across the city.

You can find them here: www.liverpoolccg.nhs.uk/drop-in-vaccination

Alternatively, pre-bookable appointments can be made online at https://www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by calling 119.

If you are eligible for vaccination but have concerns about getting vaccinated, please speak to your GP or talk to one of the bus vaccination team for advice.