Reading and Leeds Festival are offering COVID vaccinations on site
Attendees will be able to “pick up a jab as easily as a beer or a burger”
Reading and Leeds Festival will be offering COVID-19 vaccinations at this weekend’s events.
Festival-goers will be able to find pop-up vaccination clinics on both sites, whilst a ‘vaccine bus’ will be set up at Reading. Organisers claim that punters will be able to “pick up a jab as easily as a beer or a burger”.
At Reading, vaccinations will be available from 9.30:AM to 5:PM each day until Sunday, and from 9:AM to 1:PM on Monday.
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The service at Leeds will be operating between 10:AM and 4:PM through to Sunday, and 8:AM to 11:AM on Monday.
Health professionals will be present to offer advice and answer questions, though those under the influence of alcohol or drugs will not be given the vaccine.
The effort is part of the NHS’ ongoing vaccination programme, with a new focus on ensuring that 16 and 17-year-olds in England get jabbed.
Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and Deputy Lead for NHS England’s vaccination programme, said: “Thanks to the hard work of NHS staff and volunteers more than half a million young people aged 16 and 17 have had their first dose as teams across the country have worked tirelessly to get their communities protected, vaccinating at convenient pop up clinics in the park, at places of worship and stadiums and now at Reading and Leeds.
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“It is great to see the return of live music and performances, and as festival goers head to the main stage this weekend to see their favourite headliners, I am also urging anyone who hasn’t to add the ‘vaccine tent’ to their festival itinerary to get that lifesaving vaccine as the best protection we can get from coronavirus.”
This weekend’s festivities will mark the return of Reading and Leeds after a two year hiatus. Across both sites, the likes of Stormzy, AJ Tracey and Bad Boy Chiller Crew are billed to play.
Safi Bugel is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter