West Oxfordshire residents thanked as ‘Grab a jab’ centre in Witney welcomes record numbers

A total of 1,079 residents received their jabs at the centre, set up in the Council’s Town Centre Shop with staff from Oxford Health, over a period of just four days. 

Cllr Merilyn Davies, Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “I would like to thank every person who attended the centre - ultimately their attendance makes West Oxfordshire a safer place. 

“It was a fantastic effort by the Council team along with Oxford Health to set this centre up so quickly and to spread the word about the vaccination centre.

“Residents reacted quickly with hundreds visiting every day. It was wonderful to see such a positive reaction from so many people and gratifying to know that it is another important step forward in the fight against Covid-19 and our priority of building healthy communities.”

The centre was set up as Covid-19 infection case numbers increased in the middle of July, to combat any further rise in infections. The centre offered jabs to anyone over the age of eighteen requiring a first or second dose of the Pfizer vaccination. 

Tehmeena Ajmal, Oxford Health’s COVID operations director, said: “The response from local people was fantastic and it was really encouraging to see them arriving and joining the queue.

“There’s a range of ways in which people can get their jabs and I’m really pleased that we were able to give people the option to just walk in and get theirs sorted.

“I also want to thank West Oxfordshire District Council who were incredibly positive and, by working together, we were able to get the centre set up in a matter of days.”

Walk-in clinics across the county have been highly successful with 4,650 first and second dose vaccinations delivered to people aged 18 or over before the Witney centre opened.

If you have yet to book your Covid jab you can find out more here.