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Portsmouth MP backs The News’ campaign to vaccinate city’s communities with support of pharmacies

By 14 January 2021No Comments

Stephen Morgan MP has welcomed the campaign by The News calling on the government to utilise pharmacies as part of its Covid-19 vaccine rollout programme, and has today taken action by calling on the Minister to make it happen

Lobbying the Minister for the COVID-19 Vaccine Deployment, Nadhim Zahawi MP, the Portsmouth South MP has highlighted that approximately 90% of the population are within a 20-minute walk of a pharmacy, whilst nearly 70% of people have been to a community pharmacy during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stephen Morgan MP, said:

“We will beat this virus by getting our city and Britain vaccinated as quickly possible. That requires us to use every resource we have, including pharmacies. We need to ensure that it is possible to get vaccinated round the clock, and round the corner.

“By Government adding community pharmacies to the programme it would add thousands of new settings across the country in which vaccinations can be safely administered, dramatically cut the time it takes to vaccinate everyone who needs it and allow the lifting of the national lockdown faster.

“I’ll continue to do all I can to urge the Government to deliver on this not only for the people of Portsmouth, but for our country.

“The first step in that process was to write to the Minister responsible today calling on him to make it happen”.

Leader of the Opposition and party leader, Keir Starmer added:

“Every high street has a pharmacy and I want to see every possible pharmacy deployed to help.

“Across those communities, pharmacists stand ready to play their part too. Let’s use them, and let’s vaccinate Britain.”

Earlier this week, Stephen Morgan MP used the opportunity during Health questions to ask Government when the new vaccination centre at St James’ hospital will receive the doses and equipment to hit the ground running on the vaccine roll-out. The city MP awaits a reply from Government.