You will soon be able to get Covid-19 vaccines outside of the NHS for the first time since their introduction in December 2020as jabs are scheduled to land on the high street next week.
Set to be made available to anyone aged 12 and above from 1 April onwards, British pharmacy and beauty brand Boots will be the first retailer to sell Covid vaccines to the general public.
Boots will be stocking the Pfizer jab in a total of 50 stores across the country, with single doses said to cost £98.95 a pop, the new private vaccine purchases provide an option for those who do not currently fit the criteria for a free booster.
A Boots spokesperson told The Times: “Our private service builds on our existing delivery of Covid-19 vaccinations for the NHS and we are pleased we can now offer Covid vaccines both on behalf of the NHS and privately, as we have done with flu vaccinations for many years.”
Boots Manchester ArndaleThey’ll be stocking the PfizerBioNTech jab.Credit: Google Street View/Lisa Ferdinando(via Wikimedia Commons)
The high street staple insists that offering Covid jabs over the counter will help bring peace of mind to people who still want added protection from the virus who are currently unable to get one via the NHS, whose official vaccination programme ended in 2021.
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Eligibility for boosters has mainly been reserved for those considered high-risk, including over-65s or patients who are immunosuppressed as a result of pre-existing conditions.
Meanwhile, although healthier young people and adults are unlikely to suffer severely from coronavirus, vaccines can still help shield them from uncomfortable symptoms such as coughs and sore throats.
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Jabs will still have to be administered inside the shop itself, with Boots releasing appointment slots from this week ahead of the rollout next month. Opting for the single-dose Pfizer vaccine also means patients will not need to return for a second visit.
Compared to the likes of the flu jab which are roughly between £15-20 in most cases, it remains to be seen whether the cost of Covid jabs will put people off getting them on the high street.
Plans to sell them privately were outlined back in December 2023 with both Pfizer and Moderna making it clear they were keen to sell their products on the high street, but prices will still be set by individual pharmacies as more brands inevitably come on board.
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The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said last year that it was happy with private sales, stating: “We have spoken to manufacturers we’re [contracted] with and made it clear we won’t prevent them initiating a private market for Covid-19 vaccines, rather we’d welcome such an innovation in the UK.”
If you’re interested in getting a Covid booster, before going right ahead and booking a private appointment at your nearest Boots, you can double-check if you’re eligible to get one free through the NHS HERE.
Netflix drops the first trailer for upcoming Peaky Blinders film
Danny Jones
It looks like Christmas has come early for TV drama fans and cinephiles, because Netflix has officially dropped the first trailer for the upcoming Peaky Blinders movie.
Popcorn at the ready – even the teaser alone has got us fired up.
ln just 70 seconds, they’ve managed to pull us right back in, and we cannot wait to see Cillian Murphy back in full-on Tommy Shelby mode.
Not exaggerating when we say we have LITERAL chills.
As you can see, they certainly haven’t scrimped on the budget with the first-ever feature-length Peaky Blinders film, neither in terms of production value nor the cast.
Then again, having already hosted the likes of Sam Neill, Tom Hardy, Adrien Brody, Anya Taylor-Joy and others in the series itself, as well as going on to become one of the most successful BBC shows of all time, they were never going to.
We’re sure you spotted plenty of them for yourselves, but the debut trailer for The Immortal Man gives us not only our first glimpses of now Oscar-winning Murphy, 49, back in the saddle (both figuratively and literally) but also fellow blockbuster Irish actor, Barry Keoghan.
Other big names set to appear in the movie – set for a limited release in theatres before launching exclusively on Netflix – include Rebecca Ferguson and Tim Roth. It still remains unclear, however, as to how any of these characters will knit into the new season.
It’s also worth noting that the trailer shares a little snippet of the historical context, this continuation of the Shelby story is playing into, as we see what looks to be Nazi figures meeting on screen.
Creator Steven Knight has already confirmed that the plot will fast-forward some years to meet back up with Tommy at the outset of WWII and his ancestral home of Birmingham during the Blitz.
Having already confirmed 6 March as the theatrical release date ahead of it going live on Netflix a fortnight later, the anticipation was seriously starting to ramp; this latest look has only added to the tinderbox of excitement.
What do you make of the Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man trailer, and will you be watching it?
Appeal to find two individuals after man is left with ‘serious head and face injuries’ in Altrincham attack
Danny Jones
Trafford Police are trying to find two men following an attack outside a takeaway in Altrincham earlier this year.
The incident, which took place outside Canada Grill on Railway Street a couple of months ago, has left one individual with serious.
Reported to have occurred at around 2am on Sunday, 19 October, the identity of the pair who have since been revealed on CCTV footage is still unknown.
You can see both male suspects pictured below.
#APPEAL | Can you help us identify these men as we believe they can help with our investigation of an assault at Canada Grill, #Altrincham on 19/10/25 at 2am?
The victim has serious injuries to their head and face
Since shared by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) at large on social media, officers investigating the case are appealing for anyone who recognises them to come forward.
While the exact extent of the damage done and the condition of the other person involved in the altercation has not been fully disclosed, they are believed to have been left with significant “head and facial injuries”.
Danny Jones -
26th March 2024 
