Tamworth pharmacies receive their first doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine, with bookings open this week

Priceline Pharmacy Tamworth has 600 doses ready to go, and pharmacist Zubair Khan said appointments are booking out fast.

From tomorrow, people aged 18 and older can get their jab at the local pharmacy, which still has some openings available for Thursday and Friday.

Mr Khan is encouraging the community to come forward and take advantage of the additional opportunity to get vaccinated.

"We have a table set up outside the pharmacy with information on the vaccine and we're happy to answer any questions anybody might have," he said.

"Some people are worried about TTS [Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome] with AstraZeneca, but the chances of that are one in a million, so the chances are very rare.

"These sort of things we tell the customers when they come in."

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It shouldn't matter whether it is your local GP, or a pharmacist administering the vaccine, "we are all professionals", Mr Khan said.

"But making vaccines available at pharmacies mean there is more convenience, and more points where people can easily go and access the vaccine," he added.

"I'm trying to promote the vaccination in the multicultural community as well, because they have more reservations, so I'm trying to convince them that this is the right thing to do.

"It's the right thing that everyone has to do, it's the only way we can come out of this lockdown."

Priceline Pharmacy Tamworth is currently only taking bookings over the phone, but is working on an online booking system.

Pharmacies are also expected to receive their first doses of the Moderna vaccine in the second half of September.

Local pharmacies have not received any doses of Pfizer vaccine.

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