Preston and Lancashire residents aged 60 to 63 are being invited to book their covid-19 jab this week.

The letters with booking information started landing on doormats from Monday 1 March.

They have been sent after more than three in four people aged 65 to 70 took up the offer of vaccination.

Lancashire and South Cumbria Covid-19 Vaccination Director, Jane Scattergood said: “The NHS vaccination programme, the biggest in the health service’s history and fastest in Europe, goes from strength to strength.

“I would like to thank my colleagues across the NHS, along with all the volunteers and others working on the programme, for their hard work which has seen more than half a million vaccinations given across Lancashire and South Cumbria in a matter of weeks.

“I would urge anyone who has been invited to take up the offer – it doesn’t matter when you were invited you can still come forward and protect yourself and others.”

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Sir Simon Stevens, chief executive of NHS England, said: “Since around four-fifths of 65-69 year olds have now been vaccinated, we’re rapidly working our way down the generations, with people aged 60+ now able to come forward.

“As expected vaccine supply increases in March, we’re planning for further acceleration as we head towards Easter.”

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Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “Our incredible vaccination programme is accelerating, and well over 1 in 3 people across the UK have now received their first jab.

“We are now inviting those aged 60 to 63 to receive their vaccines and I urge everybody to come forward as quickly as possible to protect yourself and others from this terrible virus.

“Thank you to everyone on the frontline, including NHS vaccinators, GPs, pharmacists, and volunteers, whose unrivaled dedicated to protect the most vulnerable should be applauded.”

Information on your local vaccination hubs can be found below

The booking service can be accessed here. Those who cannot go online can call 119 free of charge.

NHS teams are visiting those who are housebound and cannot travel to a vaccination service.

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