A NEW Covid-19 vaccination site is opening in Taunton town centre for the first time this morning (Thursday).

People are being contacted directly by the NHS to book their vaccination appointment at the pharmacy in the Boots store in the town's High Street.

The site will administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and will operate from specially designed facilities in the store.

Brendan Moran, store manager of Boots in Taunton, said: “We are incredibly proud to support the NHS during this extraordinary time.

"Our pharmacy team are excited to get started and are delighted to be able to support residents in the local community, as helping them is at the heart of everything we do.

"We look forward to welcoming patients in store over the coming days and weeks, and are thrilled that our pharmacy has been selected to be at the forefront of the nation’s vaccination efforts."

Michael Lennox, chief executive of community pharmacy Somerset, said: “It’s fantastic to see the launch of the next two pharmacy-led vaccination sites in Somerset and great to see community pharmacy taking an even greater role during the pandemic to support people in Somerset.

"We know that people will really value having the additional choice in location and that pharmacies can make a significant contribution to our Somerset vaccination programmes for Covi-19."

Boots opened its first vaccination site in Halifax and has already helped numerous patients from the local community to receive their first vaccine.

The retailer has also recently started to offer vaccinations in other pharmacies including Bluewater, Gloucester and Huddersfield, with an option to expand further to more Boots stores in the future.

Boots has extensive knowledge, experience and proven capability in vaccination services making it well placed to support the NHS in delivering the vaccine across the UK. Boots has presented a model for

The vaccinations will be administered aligned with exceptional safety, clinical and operational standards.

Patients will be invited directly by the NHS to book their Covid-19 vaccination appointment at the Boots Taunton pharmacy.