Over 120,000 people sign our petition calling for pharmacy network to deliver the Covid vaccine

The current total stands at 121,101 - and counting - as readers across the nation continue to pledge their support to our 'Shot in the Arm' campaign, launched two weeks ago.

Led by the Yorkshire Evening Post and its sister titles across the JPI Media group, including The Yorkshire Post, The Star and Sunderland Echo, the campaign calls for everyone to have the ability to get a jab within 10 minutes of their home by using our great pharmacy network.

These are some of the reason why readers signed our petition to get vaccinations into local pharmacies:

John Fairclough wrote: "As a surgeon, I consider pharmacy is a suitable and safe place for vaccination and convenient for infirm and elderly."

Janet Francis said: "This will speed up the process and pharmacists have the expertise so use it."

Angela Jarvis agreed and pointed out the vital role pharmacies already play in the annual flu vaccination programme.

She said: "We need to get [it] out as fast as possible and the pharmacies are already trained as they deliver flu vaccinations. Can't be too hard to up-skill to Covid vax."

Farha Shakir believes the sooner pharmacies are brought into to the vaccine roll-out, the sooner we can get "back to normal".

"Local pharmacies that would provide vaccinations to the public means wit would provide faster injection rates, possibly less mortality rate. The quicker we get this done, the quicker we could get out of lockdown and lives back to normal."

Our Shot in the Arm campaign urges the Government to deploy the country's network of 11,000 pharmacies as front-line Covid vaccine centres.

Around 200 pharmacy sites in England, including branches of high street chain Boots, are lined up to start delivering jabs to priority patient groups in the coming weeks.

But industry bodies have called on the Government to widen the pool to thousands more community pharmacists in the UK who are ready and willing to play their part in vaccinating the nation.

Office for National Statistics figures show there are around 160 pharmacies in Leeds yet the Yorkshire Evening Post has learned only four community pharmacies in West Yorkshire alone are so far being used as vaccination sites, with plans for a further four opening by early February.

Click here to sign our petition.