London’s famous Heaven nightclub to give out COVID vaccines
Club-goers queue to get in to Heaven nightclub. (Getty/ Rob Pinney)
G-A-Y Heaven will become the first nightclub in Britain to be converted into a COVID-19 vaccine centre, its owner has announced.
Jeremy Joseph, who owns the G-A-Y group of London and Manchester bars, confirmed that patrons who swing by Heaven on 8 August will be offered a dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
With up to 1,200 vaccinations available on the day, those over 18 are asked to either turn up to Heaven or make a booking in advance through an Eventbrite form.
“Protect yourself, protect others, get vaxxed at Heaven,” Joseph tweeted Friday (30 July).
Sunday 8th August
Midday – 9pm@HeavenLGBTclub with @NHSEnglandLDN will be 1st nightclub to be turned into a vaccination centreJust turn up on the day
or
Book appointment online at https://t.co/ROgROffdsF…
Protect yourselves,
Protect others
Get Vaxxed at @HeavenLGBTclub pic.twitter.com/KfIHphdIu4
— Jeremy Joseph G-A-Y (@JeremyJoseph) July 30, 2021
“Heaven will be the UK’s first nightclub to be turned into a pop-up vax centre,” tweeted Amy Lamé, London’s night czar.
“Nightclubs have always been part of the COVID solution, and I’m really proud to be working with NHS England, Westminster City Council and Jeremy Joseph to make this happen.”
As vaccinations soar and cases fall, scientists tell Britain not to get ‘overexcited’
The news comes amid a baffling but hopeful time for Britain, where a downward trend in coronavirus cases has followed the lifting of more or less all social-distancing rules – with nightclubs, including Heaven, finally reopening.
In the last two weeks, caseloads have tumbled by 23 per cent – with 29,622 new cases recorded Thursday, per Public Health England data. It comes as seven in 10 Brits have received at least one vaccine dose as part of the NHS’ robust rollout.
While there has been a slight uptick in cases in recent days, deaths and hospitalised have also dropped – fanning hopes that the country might be on track to return to so-called normality.
Scientists, however, urge caution. Further data down the road will show whether the fall is a sustained trend or just a brief blip.
Heaven, one of Britain’s largest LGBT+ nightclubs, finally reopened. (Screen capture via Twitter/@benjaminbutter)
“It is exciting to see those rather encouraging figures, but there have been some delays in reporting the figures and we’re still waiting for the full data to be released by the Office for National Statistics,” professor Openshaw, a member of the government’s New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group, told PM Programme.
“So, let’s not get overexcited.”
Joseph previously petitioned Westminster Council to convert Heaven, which is by Charing Cross station, into a vaccine hub during the third lockdown in January.
With Heaven’s front doors shuttered since March 2020, Joseph declared that “vaccination is the answer” to thaw out the long-frozen hospitality and nightlife sectors.
“We wrote to Westminister City Council offering heaven Nightclub as a vaccination centre, it’s an empty venue already split into booths,” he tweeted at the time.
“It would be an honour if it was used while closed to help vaccinate people.”
