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Health leaders are today praising the way local young people have joined the charge to fight COVID after dozens queued for their first chance to get the vaccine.

A drop-in clinic at Open Door, Albion Street, Grimsby, vaccinated a staggering 280 people between 4pm and 8pm yesterday, many of them 18–24-year-olds who were able to receive the jab for the first time.

Demand for the vaccination meant some people were advised to book a slot at one of North East Lincolnshire’s 10 community vaccination sites or wait for a pop-up clinic as others are being organised in the coming weeks.

There is another drop-in at Open Door from 4pm to 8pm today (Friday) but there is expected to be a lot of demand again. However, you can easily book a guaranteed slot in North East Lincolnshire by visiting www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or ringing 119. Or keep your eye out for details of drop ins.

“We are bowled over by the response from younger people yesterday,” said Dr Ekta Elston, medical director at NHS North East Lincolnshire CCG and local GP. “As well as preventing serious illness from catching COVID, vaccination is how we are going to get life back to normal which is essential for everyone’s wellbeing, and the futures of young people in particular.”

Dr Elston addressed some concerns raised by young people in a radio interview this week and said she was delighted they felt able to raise their questions with her and not make decisions based on unreliable information that they may have read on social media or heard in conversation.

“Unfortunately, there are still a lot of myths and untruths around about the vaccine and it’s important people get their information from reliable sources like the NHS website,” said Dr Elston. “Especially with the delta variant causing a lot of concern, it is so important to get both doses of the vaccine to protect people from the risk of getting seriously ill. It also reduces the risk of you having to self-isolate or testing positive and having to miss something important like a job interview, holiday or an event you’ve been waiting ages for.”

As well as having the vaccination, it's important we all continue to stick to the social distancing guidelines and keep washing or sanitising our hands to stop the current spread of COVID in its tracks. Be prepared to self isolate if you have been in contact with someone with COVID and take a PCR test (this can be arranged by calling 119 or visiting Get a free PCR test to check if you have coronavirus (COVID-19) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)) if you experience symptoms.