HOSPITAL bosses are working up plans for a mass rollout of coronavirus vaccination for staff as soon as one becomes available.

Almost 200 Covid-19 vaccines are under development worldwide, with four key versions undergoing final phase 3 trials.

Most experts expect any vaccine to not become be widely available until the spring at the earliest, however, NHS and care workers could be prioritised for the first batch of vaccinations along with the most vulnerable members of the community.

Speaking at a board meeting of the East Suffolk and North Essex Trust yesterday, trust chief executive Nick Hulme said plans would be pulled into place in order to get a head start once a vaccine was available.

Mr Hulme said: “We will be looking at the infrastructure needed around staff mass vaccination as and when it becomes available.

“There is talk it won’t be publicly available until the new year and into the spring but there is some indication it might be available for vulnerable groups and NHS and care staff sooner.

“I am being deliberately vague, which is unlike me, and there is a reason for that – we simply do not know.

“When it is available we will only be responsible for administering it to our own staff and possibly some colleagues in our NHS and social care family. Mass vaccination will sit with other organisations.”

The trust is also working on plans for widespread asymptomatic coronavirus testing amongst its staff.

Mass testing would help stop the spread of Covid-19 amongst hospital staff and will be rolled out as soon as possible.

Mr Hulme added: “We are waiting for the technology where we can use saliva rather than swab testing as it is less intrusive.”

The number of patients at Colchester Hospital who have tested positive for Covid-19 was confirmed at the meeting to be 75 as of yesterday.

About half of them are said to be asymptomatic, but there are also four patients in ICU.

This compares with just seven patients who are at Ipswich Hospital who have tested positive for the virus.

Mr Hulme said: “One of the challenges I think we face, and it might sound strange to call it a challenge, is the fact we sit across two communities where prevalence of Covid is significantly different.

“One of the consequences of going into lockdown is we have ad to curtail all visiting except in exceptional circumstances, which feels quite unfair to be honest to the people of Suffolk because of the prevalence of Covid in the area.

“But it will help it stay low.

“It feels more regrettable doing this for patients living in areas with low prevalence but we need to be consistent.”

Colchester’s coronavirus infection rate has risen again, with 203 cases being confirmed within seven days.

The coronavirus infection rate in Colchester is now 104.3 cases per 100,000 people.

The figures, for the seven days to October 30, are based on tests carried out in laboratories and in the wider community.

This is up from 101.2 in the seven days ending October 29.

Rates are expressed as the number of new cases per 100,000 people.

In Tendring the infection rate has also risen to 61.4 with 90 cases confirmed over the same period.

Colchester’s hotspots include 34 cases recorded in Parson’s Heath, 15 in Greenstead and Abbey Field , 14 in Layer-de-la-Haye, Abberton and Mersea East and New Town and Hythe, 12 in Prettygate and Westlands, 11 in Old Heath and Rowhedge and Marks Tey and Wakes Colne and ten in Central Colchester, Shrub End, Highwoods and Mile End and Braiswick.

Horkesley Heath, Langham & Dedham - 7

Stanway - 7

Wivenhoe & University - 6

Lexden - 6

Monkwick - 5