Over 300,000 people in Lancashire & South Cumbria have had first covid jab

Over 300,000 people have now had their first dose of the covid vaccine across Lancashire and South Cumbria.

Health bosses told us they're doing so well they're expecting to have vaccinated the top four priority groups in the region by the weekend.

People aged 70 and over are now being asked to contact the NHS to book their covid vaccine.

• Jane Scattergood, Covid-19 Vaccination Director for Lancashire and South Cumbria said they were already noticing 'tiny green shoots' of hope in reduced covid transmission rates, cases and hospital admissions and deaths since the vaccine rollout across the region.

• It comes as AstraZeneca's chief executive said there should be a drop in hospital admissions "very soon" as a consequence of the UK's rollout.

• Jane Scattergood said: "We are well on target, probably overreaching the target of vaccinating the most vulnerable groups by this weekend.

• "Family doctors are ready to and have begun to immunise people under the age of 65 where they're absolutely categorically sure that they've done everybody over 70.

• "The focus for the next few days is still the over 70s and the clinically very vulnerable, but I'm really very confident that we will quickly move through the over 65s and over 60s.

• "I think the numbers that we've got through are in the front in the country. "

The list of vaccination priority groups set out by the government are:

• Residents in a care home for older adults and staff working in care homes for older adults

• All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers

• All those 75 years of age and over

• All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals (not including pregnant women and those under 16 years of age)

• All those 65 years of age and over

• Adults aged 16 to 65 years in an at-risk group (see clinical conditions below)

• All those 60 years of age and over

• All those 55 years of age and over

• All those 50 years of age and over

• Rest of the population (to be determined)

• Jane Scattergood added that anyone over the age of 70 who hasn't received notification or contact regarding their vaccine should get in touch with their GP or via the NHS to arrange their vaccination as soon as possible.