A new pop-up Covid vaccination clinic is opening in Newcastle allowing over-18s to simply turn up to be jabbed.
Based at Times Square at the rear of the Centre for Life, the pop-up will provide an additional 2,000 weekly appointments in the city.
It comes as infection rates across the North East continue to soar, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.
READ MORE: Praise for the 'vaccine bus' that helped administer over 600 walk-in vaccine doses in one day
Newcastle, County Durham and North Tyneside are among the five areas of England with the biggest week-on-week rises for the seven days ending June 17.
Everyone over the age of 18 can now be vaccinated without needing to meet specific criteria.
As part of a major push to offer vaccines to every adult in the UK, Newcastle's newest clinic will be open four days a week offering 500 vaccinations a day starting on Tuesday.
Jabs will be provided on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday for the first week.
The clinic will run from 8.30am to 7pm with three sessions – morning, afternoon, evening – making it easier for people to get their vaccine.
At the start of each session, 150-200 tickets will be issued for that time slot. They will be issued on a first come, first served basis and people will be asked to queue and wait to be vaccinated.
Professor Neil Watson, chief operating officer for the NHS Covid Vaccination Programme for the North East and North Cumbria, reminded people how important being vaccinated is to helping everyone get back to social things they enjoy.
He said: "We know younger people often want to access services in a more immediate way so we've introduced this new pop-up service which will help make it as easy as possible to get their vaccine.
"Getting vaccinated is the best way we can get back to the normal things we can enjoy like all the social activities in Times Square and the pubs, bars and clubs nearby.
"We know how very effective the vaccines we have are being in preventing people becoming very ill and reducing transmission – so getting vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself, your friends and your family."
The vaccine programme across Newcastle has been ramped up in the past few weeks as it aims to vaccinate more than 17,000 people a week ahead of the July 19 deadline.
This includes additional services on the vaccine bus, more community pharmacies offering the jab and more appointments through the large vaccination centres.
The Centre for Life vaccinations centre has now increased its capacity to around 1,500 people per day.
There remains capacity at the Newcastle Eagles site for vaccines this week – with more than 1,000 slots available this weekend.
Appointments at the Vertu Motors Arena should be booked through the national booking service or by calling 119.
Councillor John-Paul Stephenson, cabinet member Public Health and Culture at Newcastle City Council said: "All adults are now eligible for a Covid vaccination, and we are ensuring there are opportunities for everyone to get their vital jab as quickly as possible.
"This latest pop-up site in Newcastle city centre will be perfect for anyone who is flexible and wants to drop in for their vaccine at a time that suits them, they might be shopping with friends or heading for a nice city centre meal and can add a jab to their plans.
"The vaccine is our best route out of the pandemic, every vaccine adds another layer of protection around our city and edges us a step closer towards normality.
"Please do your bit, step forward for a vaccine when invited our head along to the pop-up site and take your place in the queue."
How the Pop-Up Vaccination works
At the start of each session 150-200 tickets will be issued for that time slot. They will be issued on a first come, first served basis and people will be asked to queue and wait to be vaccinated.
Having a ticket for that session guarantees your vaccine within that time slot. People are asked to bring identification to prove they are over 18 and therefore eligible for vaccination.
People are asked to attend no more than 10 minutes before the timeslot opens.
Once all the tickets for that session have been issued no more tickets will be given out until the start of the next session, when the process repeats itself.
The tickets are single use only and are not transferable. Tickets for each session will only be given out from the stated start time and not before.
The queue and wait system will be managed in a safe and socially distant way and should prevent long queues and people waiting excessive times.
The timetable for the pop-up site on Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday is detailed below:
Morning session (150 tickets) - 8.30am-10.30am
Afternoon session (200 tickets) - 12pm - 3.30pm
Early evening session (150 tickets) - 5pm-7pm
Options are being explored for the service to run on further days depending on resources.
