GP surgeries in Preston and South Ribble have begun to receive the first doses of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine.

The new vaccine, which doesn’t need to be stored at -70 degrees like the Pfizer vaccine, allows a wider and faster rollout of the vaccine.

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Community-based vaccination sites will see GP surgeries and other venues deliver the vaccine.

Royal Preston Hospital has already been operating as a hospital vaccine hub since December, first delivering the Pfizer vaccine and now the Oxford vaccine too.

See where the Covid-19 vaccine is being rolled out near you

Covid-19 vaccination director for Lancashire and South Cumbria integrated care system, Jane Scattergood, said: “GPs, nurses, pharmacists and countless other staff and volunteers have been working around the clock to be able to launch more vaccination sites in Lancashire and South Cumbria over the past few weeks.

“Combined with the arrival of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine, we will now be able to protect many more vulnerable people against the virus and faster.

“The Covid-19 vaccination programme has gotten off to a strong start across Lancashire and South Cumbria and NHS hospitals and primary care centres are working extremely hard to vaccinate as many people as possible in a safe and coordinated way. Please do not contact the NHS for vaccination and instead wait to be contacted.

“The rollout of the vaccine involves a wide range of organisations working together. We need to thank the significant support to the NHS to deliver the Covid-19 vaccination programme from our wider partners, including Lancashire County Council, Cumbria County Council, Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council, Blackpool Council, our district councils, the military and many more. More vaccination sites will continue to be confirmed over the coming weeks.”

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Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: “Every part of the government and the NHS are working around the clock to rapidly scale up our Covid-19 vaccination programme so we can protect those most at risk from this awful disease as quickly as possible.

“The Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine can be transported easily and I’m delighted care home residents will begin receiving their first Oxford AstraZeneca jabs this week. More than 1.3 million people have already been vaccinated in the UK, including 23 percent – or over 650,000 – of the over-80s in England

“We are aiming to offer vaccinations to the majority of care home residents by the end of January and all 13 million people in the top four priority cohorts by mid-February. This will ensure the most vulnerable are protected and will save tens of thousands of lives.

“As our vaccination programme ramps up, I urge everybody to continue following the latest restrictions to keep cases low and protect loved ones.”

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