A new large scale Covid-19 vaccination centre is opening in south Norfolk on Sunday.

The centre at the old Paddock Road Surgery in Harleston provides an additional option to the large scale vaccination centres already delivering vaccines in Kings Lynn, Norwich, Attleborough, North Walsham and Lowestoft; and the hubs already delivering vaccinations in local hospitals and by GP surgeries.

It comes after people in south Norfolk raised concerns over a lack of centre coverage there, with some people having to travel 45 minutes each way for a jab.

Cambridgeshire Community Services NHS Trust is co-ordinating centres across Norfolk and Waveney. Its medical director Dr David Vickers said: “The centres are capable of delivering thousands of vaccines a week and provide a major boost to our plans to offer protection to those who would benefit most as quickly as possible.

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“We’d like to say an enormous thank you to our amazing staff and volunteers for their incredible hard work, and also to colleagues at the Harleston Medical Practice and SST Medical Properties for letting us use their premises for this vital vaccination programme.”

People aged 64 and over who have received a letter can now book a vaccination at a time and location that is convenient to them by going online at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination. Anyone unable to book online can call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.

Melanie Craig, chief executive of the NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group added: “Latest published data confirms more than 40pc of Norfolk and Waveney’s most vulnerable patients have received their first Covid-19 vaccine and this new centre will help us vaccinate more people.

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“Please don’t contact the NHS to seek a vaccine; we will contact you. If you receive a letter inviting you to book your first Covid-19 dose via the national booking system, you can do this or choose to wait for your local GP practice to contact you to book an appointment at a site closer to you.

"When you are contacted, please attend your booked appointments. It is vital that you do not attend the old Paddock Road surgery vaccination centre if you do not have an appointment as you will not be able to receive a vaccination.

“I urge people across Norfolk and Waveney to continue following all the guidance to control the virus and save lives – that means staying at home as much as you can, and always remembering ‘hands, face and space; it’s also vital for people that have had a dose of the vaccine to continue following the same guidance.”

The old Paddock Road surgery is situated behind the Co-op, not far from the main Harleston Medical Practice premises which are located in front of the Co-op. People are asked to use the Co-op car park.