Prime Minister Boris Johnson today paid tribute to NHS staff and volunteers for their role in administering more than 40,000 jabs at a major COVID-19 vaccination centre in north London.

Mr Johnson visited StoneX Stadium, home to Saracens Rugby Club, which has been transformed into a COVID-19 vaccination centre run by the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. It is part of the North Central London NHS vaccination programme.

Mr Johnson was given a tour of the centre where he met the staff who helped set it up in April and who continue to work tirelessly to deliver around 1,000 jabs a day.

The Prime Minister spoke to clinical lead Janette Lezada, who is one of the vaccinators delivering jabs to members of the public, and he met volunteers from the Royal Free Charity, St John Ambulance and Middlesex University, assisting at the centre. He also spoke to members of the public attending for their jabs. 

Julie Hamilton, Royal Free London group chief nurse and the lead for the trust’s vaccination programme, welcomed the Prime Minister to StoneX. 

She said: “We’re delighted that the Prime Minister visited StoneX today – just six months after he came to Chase Farm Hospital to see some of the first people in the country receive the AstraZenica jab. 

“The team here has worked incredibly hard to get this centre up and running so quickly – allowing us to deliver jabs to more than 40,000 people so far - so it’s wonderful for the staff to be recognised in this way. 

"And I’m delighted to see so many people getting vaccinated - we know it's the best way to protect ourselves and our communities from COVID-19." 

Every adult in England is now eligible for a jab. 

Image: The Prime Minister with staff at Saracens' StoneX Stadium