Nottingham-based retailer and pharmacy chain Boots has began rolling out Covid-19 vaccinations at a purpose-built pharmacy facility.
And the company says it 'stands ready' to roll out the jab to its high street pharmacies in the future.
The facility, based at the company's pharmacy in Halifax, West Yorkshire, is the first of its kind and and comes as community pharmacies join the national vaccination programme.
In a notice to its customers, the Nottingham-headquartered company said the centre is capable of conducting 1,000 vaccinations a week, with two more sites opening soon in Huddersfield and Gloucester.
The company then plans to expand the service into more Boots pharmacies as the roll-out progresses.
A company spokesperson said: "We have always been incredibly proud to play an important role in supporting the NHS and [Thursday] is a landmark moment as we start our first Covid-19 vaccinations for patients and NHS staff
"Our highly trained pharmacy teams have a trusted role at the heart of our local communities and have considerable expertise and proven capability in the delivery of vaccinations.
"Alongside our safety, clinical and operational standards, we are extremely well placed to support the roll out of this vaccine quickly and safely.
"We stand ready to do more to support the NHS and the government to accelerate this rollout.
"From 8am [on Thursday], we have started vaccinating patients from a new purpose-built facility in our pharmacy in Halifax, a site that is capable of administering at least 1,000 vaccinations per week.
"We will soon have two more of these sites opening in pharmacies in Huddersfield and Gloucester, and we stand ready to support the NHS to expand this service to more Boots pharmacies in the future."
Patients will be invited directly by the NHS to book their free Covid-19 vaccination appointment at the Boots Halifax, Gloucester and Huddersfield stores.
