Calendar: Where are the vaccination centres in my area?
ITV Calendar's Emma Wilkinson reports.
Letters inviting the over-80s to attend mass vaccination centres have started to land on doormats across the region.
The first 130,000 invitations asking the elderly to sign up for a jab at the centres, which are scheduled to open this week, were due to arrive over the weekend, with more than 500,000 to follow over the next seven days.
It comes as the national coronavirus vaccination programme ramps up in a bid to meet the government’s target of offering inoculations to almost 14 million of the most vulnerable in the UK by mid-February.
The letters have been sent to people aged 80 or older who live between a 30 to 45-minute drive from one of seven new regional centres, with information about how they can book a slot either over the phone or via an online national booking service.
Where are vaccination hubs across the region?
Lincolnshire
Franklin Hall, Spilsby
Portland Medical Practice, Lincoln
Rustons Sports and Social Club, Lincoln
The Sidings Medical Practice, Boston
Cliff Villages Medical Practice, Waddington
Louth Hospital
St Mary’s Medical Centre, Stamford
The Table Tennis Club, Grantham Meres
Beacon Medical Practice, Cleethorpes
Open Door, Grimsby
Pilgrim Primary Care Centre, Immingham
Scartho Medical Centre, Grimsby
Cedar Medical Practice, Scunthorpe
Riverside Surgery, Brigg
South Axholme Practice, Epworth
The Central Surgery, Barton
North Yorkshire
The Health Care Surgery, Vale of York
Pickering Medical Practice, Pickering
Central Healthcare
Filey Surgery
Derwent Practice
Tadcaster Health Centre
Nimbuscare Mass Vaccination Hub
Posternage Surgery
South Yorkshire
Priory Campus, Barnsley
Dearne Valley Group Practice, Barnsley
Apollo Court Medical Centre, Barnsley
Woodhouse Health Centre, Sheffield
Manor Park Medical Centre, Sheffield
The Health Care Surgery, Sheffield
The Flowers Health Centre, Sheffield
Fairlawns, Sheffield
Darnall PCC, Sheffield
St Columbus Church, Sheffield
Porter Brook Medical Centre, Sheffield
Dore Surgery, Sheffield
The Mathews Practice, Sheffield
Burncross, Sheffield
Valley Medical Centre, Sheffield
Meadowgreen Health Centre, Sheffield
Montgomery Hall, Rotherham
Rawmarsh Customer Service Centre, Rotherham
Oak House, Rotherham
Anston Medical Centre, Rotherham
Adwick Leisure Centre, Doncaster
Dearne Valley Leisure Centre, Doncaster
Thorne Leisure Centre, Doncaster
The Rutland Centre, Doncaster
Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster
West Yorkshire
Hillfoot, Leeds
Craven Road Medical Practice, Leeds
East Park Medical Centre, Leeds
Priory View Medical Centre, Leeds
Bramley Village Health and Wellbeing Centre, Leeds
The Grange Medical Centre, Leeds
Alwoodley Medical Centre, Leeds
Bridge street, Leeds
Kippax Health Centre, Leeds
Beeston Village, Leeds
Yeadon Health Centre, Leeds
Wetherby Health Centre, Leeds
Oakwood Lane Medical Practice, Leeds
Lingwell Croft, Leeds
Shenstone House Surgery, Leeds
Woodhouse Health Centre, Leeds
East Leeds Health Centre, Leeds
Canalside Healthcare Centre, Bradford
Long Lee, Bradford
Skipton Hospital, Skipton
Spring Hall Surgery, Calderdale
Cathedral House, Huddersfield
Shipley Health Centre, Shipley
Barkerend Health Centre, Bradford District
Woodroyd Medical Practice, Bradford District
The Ridg, Bradford District
Windhill Green Emerald Suite, Bradford district
Whetley Medical Centre, Bradford District
Low Moor, Bradford District
Castleford Civic Centre, Castleford
Church View Health Centre, Wakefield District
Sandal RUFC, Wakefield District
King's Medical Practice, Wakefield District
Nursery Lane Medical Centre, Calderdale
Bankfield Surgery, Calderdale
Todmorden Group Practice, Calderdale
Northowram Surgery, Calderdale
Holme Valley Memorial Hospital, Huddersfield
Kirkburton Health Centre, Huddersfield
East Yorkshire
KC Stadium, Hull
Bartholemew Medical Practice
Willerby Hill
Beverley Race Course, Beverly
Medical Centre Bridlington
Alfred Bean Hospital
Alf Marshall Community Centre, Hull
Church View Surgery
Brough Surgery
The prime minister said: “Our plan is to vaccinate as many people as possible across the entire United Kingdom as quickly as we can.
“And with more than 1,000 vaccination sites across the country, including seven new mass vaccination centres, we will help protect hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people over the coming weeks as we accelerate towards offering 12 million people the jab in England by the middle of February.
“There are deeply challenging weeks ahead, but today signals another significant step forward in the race to protect the public, and defeat the virus.”
The initial batch of regional centres were chosen to give a geographical spread covering as many people as possible, NHS England said.
They will each be capable of delivering thousands of jabs per week, scaling up and down according to vaccine supplies and demand.
NHS national medical director Professor Stephen Powis said: “The coronavirus vaccination programme, the largest in NHS history, has got off to a strong start.
“With more vaccine supplies now coming on stream we are rapidly accelerating the programme and these large-scale NHS vaccination centres are an important new way for people to get the life-saving jab, alongside our GP and hospital services.
“NHS staff are under huge pressure with big rises in coronavirus infections leaving record numbers needing hospital treatment but are still pulling out all the stops to deliver Covid jabs as swiftly as we can.”
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Through our vaccine delivery plan we have already provided a first dose to more than 1.2 million people in England and we are mobilising the government, NHS and the armed forces as part of a massive national effort.
“The vaccination centres are an important milestone and will help accelerate the rollout further.”
People who book a slot at a vaccine centre will be greeted by volunteers who will marshal car parks and register them when they arrive. Bookings will be staggered to allow social distancing.
They will receive a health status check and a pre-vaccination assessment before they have their jab and then be observed for 15 minutes. The process is expected to take under an hour.
There are almost 1,000 vaccination sites in place across the country – the vast majority GP-led – with 80,000 people trained to deliver jabs.
Health officials said a further 200 new GP and hospital vaccination services are expected to open this week, while a handful of pharmacies will also start piloting administering injections.
The NHS is giving GPs an extra £10 for every care home resident that they vaccinate this month as part of a drive to protect them.