ANYBODY struggling to book vaccines or booster jabs will be able to do so in the near future, Swindon’s health boss has said.

Director of public health for Swindon Borough Council Steve Maddern tried to reassure those who spoke to the Adver about waiting weeks or travelling miles for their appointments.

He also urged people to not book their booster jabs unless they had been invited to do so as this is contributing to the problem. 

It comes after the Prime Minister announced that all adults will be offered a booster jab by the end of January. 

He said: “You will be able to get your vaccine in Swindon at some point in the foreseeable future. 

“Please don’t panic if you don’t get your booster straight away. 

"You might have to wait a little bit longer. It’s worth remembering that when the vaccination centres are full, they do come off the national portal.

“We are aware that people are struggling to get into STEAM at the moment. Please don’t try to book unless you’ve been invited to by the NHS. 

“If you are not currently eligible you do clog the national system does make it difficult for those who are eligible to book.

“It is a case of being patient so if you do log in to book but don’t see an appointment, then please do try again as STEAM does release slots on a regular basis. 

“We are delivering a phenomenal vaccine programme and we’re nearly a year old. We have done well over a million vaccines.

“It’s important that residents remember that staff are working consistently to make sure we’re getting the vaccine programme right and just be kind when you’re visiting sites.”

As of Friday, almost 50 per cent of those eligible to take up their booster jabs had done so. 

Mr Maddern also revealed that the council would be supporting the NHS as it looks at new models to increase vaccination capability. 

He added: “We are continuing to explore how we can improve access to the vaccine programme and this is very much in line with national announcements with reducing of the age eligibility for booster programmes. 

“We are constantly trying to work with the NHS to make sure the programme is able to deliver against those national ambitions.

“NHS is working incredibly hard at the model to look at how we can adapt the model to increase the capacity and as a local authority we support them as best as we can.”