BRADFORD’S oldest city centre pharmacy will become one of the first in the country to administer Covid-19 vaccinations.

Rimmington’s, in Bridge Street, which will start vaccinating those with appointments tomorrow, is the only Bradford pharmacy to win a contract with NHS England to provide them.

Initially, they will receive 1,200 doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine which they expect to administer over a four-day period.

“We’re incredibly proud to be able to play our part in helping to beat this horrific virus,” said Qaisar Sheikh, who runs the pharmacy with his business partner Sajid Hussain.

“Rimmington’s has been going since 1842 and we have a long history of innovation and community support and this feels like another really important chapter.

“We already run flu vaccinations every winter so it was a natural extension for us to apply to take part in the Covid programme but the Government is rightly being extremely careful to ensure only those with the experience and skills to do this can be involved in the vaccine roll-out.”

After a test run last week involving just seven pharmacies, the Government is now rolling out the community vaccination programme to just 200 more pharmacies across the country.

Rimmington’s needed to provide a covered rest and recovery area for those who’ve had the vaccine, who must wait for 15 minutes after the jab before they can leave in case they have a reaction.

Mr Sheikh said: “Jonny Noble at Bradford BID (Business Improvement District) has liaised with us and the local authority to allow us to place a marquee at the bottom of Ivegate with a fenced off area, which is perfect

“Without this we would have struggled to accommodate enough people, but this means we can really ramp up the numbers and vaccinate as many people as possible.”

Meanwhile, The Broadway has agreed to provide up to 90 minutes’ free parking for those with appointments.

Only people with appointments will be able to attend and Mr Sheikh added: “We have five fully-trained vaccinators and we will be part of the NHS booking system, so people can now choose Rimmington’s – from one of six central locations – to give them their jab if they wish after they have received the letter from their GP offering them the vaccination.”

BID manager Jonny Noble said: “It’s great news that we are able to have a city centre pharmacy joining the battle to beat Covid and the BID is really pleased to be able to step up and help out Rimmington’s, which is a key fixture in the heart of Bradford. We’re sure they’ll do a great job and that they’ll be able to continue to provide this service long after the first batch of doses.”

Ian Ward, general manager of The Broadway, added: “It’s more crucial than ever that we must work together to help stop the spread of Covid-19 to support the NHS and save lives. The vaccination roll out in Bradford is picking up pace and we’re committed to doing anything we can to support the community through the pandemic.

“The Broadway is offering parking for all those attending Rimmington’s appointments for a vaccination, visitors simply take their parking ticket to the pharmacy who will validate it to allow exit free of charge.”