NORTH Essex is getting ready to receive the new Covid-19 jab which is being rolled out as part of the biggest vaccination programme in the UK’s history.

The Oxford/AstraZeneca is set to be administered to high-priority patients in north Essex from next week.

It is understood a primary care vaccine centre will be opening at the Fryatt Hospital, in Dovercourt, on Monday. 

Ivan Henderson, Harwich county councillor, said the North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) confirmed the news to him. 

"It's really good news for Harwich residents that they have somewhere close to get the vaccine and hopefully this will allay some of their concerns," he added.

"But people need to wait to be contacted by the NHS."

A mass coronavirus vaccination centre is also due to be mobilised in north Essex later this month.

So far almost 6,000 people in north Essex have received their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

A total of 4,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine have been administered at Colchester Hospital for people aged 80 or above, as well as care home staff and NHS frontline workers with underlying health conditions.

A further 975 doses of the Pfizer jab were administered at St Helena Hospice’s Tendring Centre in Clacton and 975 people received their first dose at Colchester Primary Care Centre.

Some have received their second dose of the vaccine after three weeks even though the Government has now stated second doses of either vaccine will take place within 12 weeks rather than 21 days.

Dialysis patient Brian Pinker, 82, was the first person to receive the Oxford Covid vaccine at Oxford’s Churchill Hospital yesterday.

A North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group spokesman said: “We understand why people are having concerns about when they will receive a vaccine.

“At the moment we can only dose people who are aged 80 years or over, NHS frontline personnel and care home staff.

“If you are over 80-years-old and have not yet heard when you will be vaccinated, don’t be alarmed as we are prioritising people most at risk.”

According to the latest figures the number of Covid-19 deaths in Colchester is 162 and the number in Tendring has reached 208.

Colchester has seen 1,132 cases in the past week – or 581.4 cases per 100,000 people.

The infection rate in Tendring increased to 627.7 per 100,000 people on Sunday - up from 387.6 on December 29.

The total number of deaths within 28 days of positive Covid test in Tendring since the pandemic started is 208.

Tendring Council leader Neil Stock said: “I send my commiserations to their family and friends but we have not been hit that badly in this district compared to other areas of Essex.

“But the new strain has been far more transmissible and infections rates are on the rise.

“There’s always a backlog in the figure but they will peak at some point and I hope that is soon and then we will see them come back down.”

Braintree Council’s leader Graham Butland also hoped the infection rate in the district will start to flatten.

It comes as that area’s infection rates stands just below 1,000 cases per 100,000 people.

Braintree has seen a total of 1,500 cases recorded in the past seven days.