Man turned away from Covid vaccine appointment because he arrived on a bicycle
John Cooper said security suggested he book a taxi to be allowed jab access
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Your support makes all the difference.A man said he was turned away from his Covid vaccination appointment because he turned up on a bicycle.
John Cooper said he was furious after being denied access as his invitation letter did not state that the Carmarthen facility was drive-through only.
He had ridden from Ammanford to Swansea on his bicycle before catching the train to Carmarthen and riding to the centre.
"Why didn't it say in my letter of invitation that this was a drive-through facility? Of course then I would have phoned the number given and rearranged the appointment," Mr Cooper told WalesOnline.
"They do say in this letter you can phone up if you have particular needs or if the time isn't convenient for you, but no mention at all of the drive-through."
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He said that after turning him away, security staff suggested he would be allowed to make his appointment if he called a taxi.
"I was just in bewilderment, what is safe about me booking a taxi and then sitting for half an hour with a taxi driver?" he said.
"There was no bending of the rules letting you cycle through, but there was that daft suggestion of booking a taxi, so I made my way back to Swansea."
Security also told him they had turned away several people arriving on foot, he said.
"The real problem was simply that there was no mention of this on the letter, because of that you'd think there might be a courtesy car or something for people coming down without cars," he said.
"I think it could also be an issue for people who can't afford cars, who go all the way down there not knowing they need one to be vaccinated."
Mr Cooper rearranged and was vaccinated later the same week at a walk-in centre in Llanelli.
A spokesperson from Hywel Dda University Health Board, which runs the site, said they were “looking urgently” into ensuring that letter invitations were made clearer in future.
“We are very sorry to read about Mr Cooper's experience at our Carmarthenshire Showground site,” they said.
“We do offer transport for anyone requiring this to access our mass vaccination site, and you can access transport to get to and from a mass vaccination sites through our Covid enquiries line on 0300 303 8322."
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