Here are all the pop-up vaccine clinics you can go to as a London student

Following the large-scale Twickenham Stadium event and UCL’s smaller pop-up vaccine clinic, attention has turned to how young people under 25 can get vaccinated before being contacted by the NHS, and it is actually surprisingly doable.

In London, many borough councils have organised walk-in and pre-bookable clinics open to residents or in some cases the general adult public, and with UCL’s promise to deliver more vaccinations for students at the Bloomsbury Surgery, the future is looking bright as our chances of getting the Covid jab increase.

We’ve compiled a list of London vaccine clinics that are accessible for students to help with these hopes, and encourage everyone to take a day out of their schedule to visit one of them. It’s so worth it, and speeds up the vaccination process immeasurably:

Hounslow Council clinics

Hounslow Council are the undeniable leaders of London’s pop-up vaccination clinics, offering at least one event nearly every day. The locations range, so you’ll have to visit the council’s website to see where the clinics will be happening on your chosen day, but as a result of being so often they’re usually quiet and much easier than the three-hour queues we’ve seen at previous events.

To be eligible, you must be over 18 and have an NHS number, but that’s it! If you’re registered with a UK GP then you should have been given an NHS number, however it’s worth phoning up your doctors’ to ask as they can be tricky to find.

You can pre-book or just show up to these events from 8.00am to 8.00pm – some don’t accept bookings at all and operate purely on a walk-in basis, but if you want to secure a time it’s worth booking just in case for their pre-bookable events.

These clinics used to be open to residents of Hounslow only, but now are accepting all, making the hour commute from campus definitely worth it for a chaos-free and safe experience getting vaccinated. From personal experience, these pop-up events are incredible.

Newham Council clinics

Newham Council are offering a range of events for people to get vaccinated, from mass vaccination sites to walk-in pop-ups.

Westfield shopping centre and ExCel Nightingale, UCL’s former examination centre, are holding the mass events, for which you have to book on the NHS website, but smaller pop-up community clinics are happening too. Check the council’s website for locations, times and how to book for these pop-up events.

Note: Newham’s pop-up clinics are currently only offering AstraZeneca vaccines, which they can only offer to certain people under 40. You’ll have to check your eligibility.

UCL doctors’ surgeries

UCL’s partner GP surgeries, Ridgmount Practice and the Bloomsbury Surgery, have started sending out texts to registered students for them to book their first dose of the Covid vaccine. This works the same way as everyone who has received an invitation from the NHS to get vaccinated, however is a slow process as many students haven’t heard from them.

It is worth calling your GP if one of these is your practice and you have not heard from them, or registering at one of them now to get your name on the list to receive a vaccine.

If you are not a UCL student or can’t register at one of these surgeries, though, you’ll still have many options to go through your GP. Either register at a local GP and book an appointment if you are eligible for the vaccine, or contact the NHS North Central London Clinical Commissioning Group ([email protected]) with your date of birth, NHS number, full name, address and contact number, who will be able to help arrange your vaccination.

Harrow Byron Hall clinic

Byron Hall in Harrow is being used as a large vaccination centre for those contacted by the NHS, however they operate a walk-in service from Monday to Wednesdays for residents of North West London.

You’ll need some proof of address and your NHS number to walk-in, however it is not guaranteed that you will be vaccinated on busy days as priority is given to those with booked appointments as per NHS texts.

Wembley Mass Vaccination Centre

While this centre is being used for booked vaccine appointments for eligible over 25s, they also do a walk-in service that is not necessary to call up about – just show up between their opening times of 8.00am to 7.30pm on a first-come first-serve basis.

You have to be over 18 and with an NHS number to fill out the paperwork, however the centre can help you find it if you are unsure. It is located right next to Wembley Stadium, but requires local signage or a cheeky Google Maps search to actually find the site.

Brent Council’s Wembley clinic is part of a wider North West London initiative of mass vaccination centres that you can find here. These large sites will probably generate a lot of queueing, so they may not be as easy as more local pop-up clinics, but they are definitely very accessible to London uni students.

Wandsworth Council clinics

Wandsworth are offering a range of walk-in vaccine clinics around South London, most of which are only offering AstraZeneca to over 40s and those under 40 who are willing to discuss their safety with this vaccine, however the South Mitcham Community Centre near Wimbledon is operating for all.

It is only open 6.00 to 10.00pm on Monday 14th June, so if you’re living in South and free as a bird tomorrow, now is your chance. Bring your proof of age and NHS number along to this pop-up event.

Lambeth Council clinics

The walk-in and pop-up clinics offered by this council are strictly for Lambeth residents, but if you’re living in South East then there are loads of opportunities to get vaccinated as a young person.

Among the daily walk-in clinics are St Thomas’ Hospital and Guy’s Hospital, open from 5.00 to 7.00pm, and the Fairlee Pharmacy on Queenstown Road is open from 9.00am to 5.00pm for over 16s who do not have to be registered with a GP to attend, making it crazily accessible to both UK and international students.

There is more information on Lambeth’s clinics and other vaccination events in South East London here.

Feel free to message us on our socials or email [email protected] with your tips and information on other pop-up clinics to add to this list!

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• What the Twickenham Stadium walk-in vaccination event was really like, from people who went

• ‘1,000’ UCL students queued up for only 300 vaccines at the Bloomsbury Clinic

• These pictures of young people getting the vaccine prove the government needs to shut up