A THIRD Covid-19 vaccine is being delivered to sites across England today, but Essex will not receive them just yet.

The first Moderna jabs are being dropped off at more than 20 sites in the country as the NHS vaccination programme reaches another milestone.

But an Essex Partnership University Trust (EPUT) spokesman has confirmed none of the 20 sites are in Essex.

A date for when the vaccine will be available in north Essex has yet to be announced by the trust which is responsible for the roll out in north Essex.

The Moderna jab is the third Covid vaccine to be rolled out in the country - after Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

The phase three results suggested vaccine efficacy against the disease was 94.1 per cent, and vaccine efficacy against severe Covid-19 was 100 per cent.

More than 30,000 people in the US took part in the trial, from a wide range of age groups and ethnic backgrounds.

Moderna is a US pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with its headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

An EPUT spokesman said: "New advice has been issued on the Oxford/AstraZenca vaccine.

"The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)has weighed the relative balance of benefits and risks and advise that the benefits of prompt vaccination with the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine far outweigh the risk of adverse events for individuals 30 years of age and over and those who have underlying health conditions which put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease.

"JCVI currently advises that it is preferable for adults under 30 years without underlying health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe Covid-19 disease, to be offered an alternative Covid-19 vaccine, if available."

Everyone who has had the first AstraZeneca jab should continue to be offered a second dose of it.

She added: "Despite the expected reduction in vaccine supply of AstraZeneca (for a few weeks) the vaccination continues to make strong progress.

"We have limited appointments across many of our vaccination centres over the next few days, please book as soon as possible."

If you are in an eligible group and you haven’t booked your first dose yet, you can book online at nhs.uk/covid-vaccination or by phoning 119.