Covid jab programme hit by snow across Suffolk

Bad weather across Suffolk has forced the closure of several Covid vaccination centres.

Storm Darcy, which has seen ongoing snow falling across the county all day and hit power supplies early on, has forced the closure of six vaccination centres.

Suffolk Resilience Forum confirmed the closures at Gainsborough Sports Centre, Ipswich; Debenham Community Centre; The Mix, Stowmarket; Trinity Park, Ipswich; Woodbridge Community Hall; and The EpiCentre, Haverhill – which closes at 4pm.

A spokesman for the forum said: "Our NHS, emergency services and council teams have been working hard to keep vaccinations sites running safely today in spite of the snow.

"We urge anyone who has concerns about travelling not to put themselves at risk.

"If you used the national booking system to arrange your appointment at one of our large vaccination sites you can log back in here and re-arrange it using the ‘manage your appointment’ function.

"If your appointment was booked for you by your local practice, the practice will get in touch with you as soon as they can to rearrange your appointment. Other slots will be available. For more information go to the Suffolk and North East Essex Covid-19 vaccination service website here.

"All testing sites across our region for those with symptoms of Covid-19 are currently closed, but the situation will be reviewed daily. All those who had appointments will be contacted by text message about re-booking.

"If you are experiencing symptoms, please self-isolate and check the website for the earliest available slots.

The community testing centres (also known as rapid testing or lateral flow testing centres) at Bury St Edmunds, Lowestoft and the University of Suffolk in Ipswich for people not displaying symptoms have now been closed.

The situation around these centres will continue to be monitored and a decision on opening on Monday will be taken later today.

Read more: All the latest news from Suffolk