Harborough chemist backs Harborough Mail's campaign to deploy local pharmacies to give people the Covid-19 vaccine now

A leading Market Harborough chemist is backing a Harborough Mail campaign to deploy local pharmacies to give people the Covid-19 vaccine now.

Shanti Mistry, 72, said he is ready, willing and able to draft his own pharmacy on the High Street in to the growing battle to vaccinate the population.

He vowed that he could jab up to 400 people a day as the Harborough Mail’s sister titles urge Prime Minister Boris Johnson to turn the country’s extensive network of 11,000 pharmacies into vital front-line Covid vaccine hubs.

“I am fully behind this campaign, it’s a brilliant idea.

“I’d like to see every pharmacy in the country support this mission,” said Shanti, who set up his business in Market Harborough in 1980.

“We need to get everyone across Harborough vaccinated as soon as we can.

“I heard a Government minister saying on Radio 4 that there’s a problem with the supply of the vaccines.

“But we are literally ready to go as soon as the vaccines are rolled out and we get the go-ahead.

“Let’s blitz this effort and get on with it!

“We have a couple of nurses available – as well as a couple of pharmacists,” said Shanti.

“We also have three treatment rooms.

“We have the resources, the staff, the capacity and the ability to vaccinate people against the coronavirus.

“We could treat 300-400 people a day.

“So please give us the vaccine shots and it will be full steam ahead.

“We gave a lot of people the flu jab in November and December – and now we can do it again with Covid.

“We’ve got five pharmacies and two surgeries in Market Harborough as well as St Luke’s cottage hospital up the road.

“We have got a small enough population locally to be able to vaccinate all of them,” insisted Shanti.

“And this is the ideal time to put this into operation because we are much quieter now in the shop after Christmas.

“We have to use every means at our disposal to beat Covid-19.

“We are easy to get to here on the High Street.

“Our customers have known us for years and they trust us.

“As well as Market Harborough we can vaccinate people from the villages like Marston Trussell, Foxton, the Bowdens and the Langtons.

“We’ve been here on the High Street over 40 years and we love Market Harborough.

“We want to see our fantastic town centre buzzing again.

“We want to see the shops open again and be able to go to the pub for a pint or a cuppa at the tearoom with their friends.

“We need to get our economy fired up again.

“But this is also about people’s mental health.

“People are suffering socially, too, not just here but all over the country,” said Shanti.

“I feel so sorry for all of our kids.

“We have to get our schools reopened and we have to get back to normal.

“We don’t want any more long lockdowns.

“And the only way we are going to be able to do all of this is by vaccinating all of us.

“Our vaccines are the key to beating Covid full stop.

“So the sooner we can start vaccinating people the better.”

See our original story on the appeal by clicking here.