Four vaccination centres opening in Essex
They are among 39 going live across the country to speed up immunisations
Four new large-scale vaccination centres are opening in Essex this week.
The new hubs are among 39 opening across the country with 62 more pharmacy-led sites as the biggest immunisation programme in health service history continues to accelerate.
Centres in Essex include:
- Colchester FC, Jobserve Community Stadium, Colchester
- Clacton Hospital, Clacton-on-sea
- Chelmsford Racecourse
- Cliff Pavilion, Southend-on-sea
The expansion follows a major milestone with residents at all eligible care homes having been offered a jab where safe to do so, protecting one of the most at-risk groups in the country.
A retired nurse from Essex, Hazel Steed, told us it's great news for the county:
"It's brilliant news because it means more people are going to get their vaccines quicker.
"Everybody is waiting for them and we can then get out of the difficulties we're in at the moment."
Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director said:
“The NHS Vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, is off to a strong start with more than nine million jabs delivered across England.
“I’ve seen first-hand what getting vaccinated means to those who are jabbed, their families and loved ones, and as more supply becomes available, we are able to expand the scale of this huge programme.
“These new sites will mean even more people live nearby to a large-scale vaccination centre or community pharmacy, which along with the incredible work of our local GPs, pharmacists and their healthcare teams, will allow us to rapidly vaccinate the most vulnerable in our society.”