Covid19: Bournemouth student vaccinations halted amid high demand

A scheme to provide walk-in Covid vaccinations to university students was halted on its second day due to overcrowding.

Bournemouth University said it was told “all students” could queue for vaccinations at the Bournemouth International Centre for seven days starting Tuesday. Hundreds of people showed wednesday, with some waiting for up to eight hours, while others were turned away.

Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust stated that its capacity for “ad hoc” vaccinations had been reduced.

On Tuesday, the university informed all BU students over the age of 18 that walk-in vaccinations would be available from May 18 to May 24. But by Wednesday evening a message on its Facebook page said: “Due to the high numbers, unfortunately no further student slots are available for the time being.”

Dorset Healthcare NHS Trust stated in its initial statement that it had “offered spare capacity at the center to students in priority groups.”

“We offered the vaccination to all local university students, particularly those who are male, those from certain ethnic minority backgrounds, those with a body-mass index of 30 or more, and those experiencing socioeconomic deprivation,” a spokeswoman said in a revised statement on Thursday.

“As further cohorts of people open on the national booking system, our capacity for ad-hoc arrangements like this has reduced.” The trust stated that the offer to students was made to reduce waste of the Pfizer vaccine.