There was frustration at snaking queues and hours-long waits at the only two walk-in vaccination sites available in Oxfordshire.

Pictures from Witney’s walk-in centre show the length of the queues from people hoping to get their third jab this winter.

People were seen in the line for more than three and a half hours.

The venue, in the council's town centre shop in Welch Way, can only host two vaccinators at any time due to the small space.

The only other site where the public can also grab a walk-in jab is in Oxford at the Kassam Stadium. 

At around 5.30pm on Tuesday WODC tweeted: "Due to the number of people left in the queue at the Town Centre vaccination clinic were now closing the queue for tonight to ensure everyone gets their vaccination. We reopen at 9.30 tomorrow morning.”

Frustrated poster Rarelyinthelimelight replied:"Due to the number of people still in the queue…you decided to close it????!!!!

 

Amai Boy posted tweeted: "You ran out of vaccine last night! Hope u r well stocked today."

A dad mentioned confusion around who was eligible and told the NHS they were disappointed when the Kassam stopped doing second jabs for teenagers on Sunday.

Nick Kind tweeted: "We were turned away from the Kassam at around 1500 today as they said they were now only doing booster jabs, not second jabs for 16 year olds. It was a wasted two hours and very annoying for my twin sons. Please update your website and social!"

 

The queues were seen after fears were raised about a new variant of Covid.

The strain, dubbed Omicron, was found in the UK over the weekend.

Almost 18 million people in the UK have already had a booster jab.

Other people keen to get a booster vented about their difficulties in getting an appointment through the NHS booking site and being “offered a slot miles away”, or at inconvenient times of day. 

@TheBanburian tweeted: "I've got my booster booked - and while I am lucky in that I can drive to the nearest location they offered, a lot of people are NOT that lucky. It is absurd that a town the size of Banbury with as many surrounding villages lacks any more robust local vaccination options."

 

Entering a West Oxfordshire postcode into the booking site this morning we were offered the Steam Museum, Swindon (14.6 miles away), Bingham Hall Trust, Cirencester (15.2 miles away) or the Kassam (17.2 miles away).

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust said: The team are working hard and are busy vaccinating people with appointments as well as those seeking walk-in jabs and boosters.

“Demand for walk-ins fluctuates throughout the day and people should expect to queue if they have not booked an appointment.

"It’s also worth mentioning that boosters are only for over 40s at the moment the national booking system gives guidance on eligibility. “

The only reason for turning away teenagers from the Kassam would be either they had Covid recently or they had not left enough time between doses.

The Government has now set a target to offer boosters to all adults in just 62 days - by the end of January.

The NHS has set out plans to increase capacity as well as call in military support and an army of volunteers.

But the expansion of the Covid-19 vaccine booster programme poses a “huge logistical challenge” for the NHS, experts have said.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents NHS trusts, said: “The target to offer boosters to all eligible adults by the end of January presents a huge logistical challenge for the NHS, but given the potential threat from the Omicron variant, it is absolutely the right thing to do.”

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