Vax every WKND
There are many things that I thought I would never see in my life. One of those things is Heaven nightclub turning into the clubbing equivalent of the Nightingale Hospital over the weekend. But that is exactly what happened on the 8th August.
Its dancefloor, famous for hosting acts as diverse as Cher, Nick Cave, and Dua Lipa, hosted a very different kind of disco last weekend. Advertised on Twitter, people were invited down to the iconic club to get their first dose of the vaccine by LGBTQ+ icon, Jeremy Joseph. The famous venue transformed into a makeshift clinic with hundreds of NHS staff and volunteers on hand to dish out over 1,000 doses of the Pfizer jab to whoever wanted them. Slots were available to anyone – with or without an appointment! People could nab themselves a job from noon to 9pm, with queues of people pictured snaking from the entrance at one point.
(Credit: Reuters)
The initiative is part of a general push to increase vaccination rates among young people, especially those who go clubbing regularly (like us). It’s a great idea because data is slightly worrying… statistics show that uptake of the first dose among people aged under 30 in England is still well below two thirds. This is particularly problematic as NHS England’s new chief executive Amanda Pritchard revealed earlier this week that a fifth of people in hospital with Covid-19 are under 35.
Jeremy Joseph, owner of Heaven and nearby G-A-Y, said handy walk-in centres meant people “have no excuse” not to take up the offer. Speaking to The Metro, he added “It is important we all do our bit and encourage each other to get vaccinated – not just because you might soon need a vaccine passport to enter nightclubs, but because we want everyone to party safely.”
Heaven isn’t the only club taking steps to make sure that everybody is able to club safely and securely. Clubs all over the UK are beginning to offer free vaccines to their customers, including Ministry of Sound and industry bodies Safer Sounds and LIVE. Ministry of Sound executive chairman Lohan Presencer said: “We’ll provide the music and the good times, people just need to get both their vaccines so we can all keep dancing together safely.”
(Credit: Reuters)
LIVE CEO Greg Parmley added: “We can’t wait to get everyone back through our doors to experience the best that live music has to offer, which is why we’re supporting the campaign to get young people double vaccinated. Vaccine take-up will ensure that, along with the existing measures in place such as ventilation, we can all enjoy music events safely this summer.”
We hope that these pop-up vaccine centres become more common over the coming weeks, as we can’t think of anything better than getting your COVID shot and then celebrating with a round of shots!
Words by Rebecca Clayton