A LEADING pharmacy retailer is to offer Covid-19 vaccinations at its Handforth Dean store.

Boots will now be offering the vaccine at the pharmacy, meaning it now has 45 stores across England providing the service.

The news comes on the day those aged 25 or over became eligible for the jab, with the specially designed facility at Handforth Dean seeing the vaccine administered by Boots pharmacists as the retailer continues its mission to support NHS England to vaccinate the nation.

Nick Sunderland, Programme Director for Vaccines at Boots, said: "Our pharmacy team in Handforth Dean are hugely excited by the opportunity to help their local community by offering the Covid-19 vaccine in-store.

"We are incredibly proud to be supporting the NHS to deliver Covid-19 vaccinations – our stores are conveniently located and accessible.

"We look forward to welcoming patients over the coming days and weeks."

Boots opened its first vaccination site in Halifax in January. The UK’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer now offers vaccinations at 45 pharmacies across England, with plans to expand further to more Boots stores in the coming weeks. To date, Boots has administered over 250,000 Covid-19 vaccines to date.

Thanks to its 172-year history, 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 Covid-19 vaccinations to be administered in Boots stores, aligned with its exceptional safety, clinical and operational standards. Any customer who has their vaccination with Boots will have the service done by a trained pharmacist.

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