A YORK GP group has announced that it's making plans to start offering the Covid-19 vaccine to a "very small number of people" from this week in York, Scarborough and Hull.

Haxby Group said whilst this is happening, it expects that some of its normal services may be affected and the availability of some non-urgent appointments may be reduced in the short term, "so please bear with us."

People in the first of the priority groups, determined nationally by the Joint Committee of Vaccinations and Immunisation, will shortly receive letters or phone calls to invite them to receive the vaccine, the GP group said.

It added: "Please do not contact your surgery or hospital to ask about the vaccine. You will be invited, when the time is right.

"As more supplies of the vaccine are received, the vaccination programme will be rolled out to other groups.

"In the meantime, please keep to the Government guidelines to protect yourself and others."

Haxby Group's York surgeries include: Haxby & Wigginton Surgery, Huntington Surgery, New Earswick Surgery, Stockton-on-the-Forest Surgery, Gale Farm Surgery and The Old Forge Surgery.

As reported yesterday by The Press, we understand the vaccination campaign against the cornavirus is due to start in York at 8.30am on Thursday.

A reliable source said that the first batch of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was due to arrive in York on Wednesday before people started getting the jab the following morning at the former Askham Bar Park & Ride site off Moor Lane.

It is understood that people aged 80 and over will be prioritised, along with care home workers, and people should not contact their GP to ask for an appointment, as they will be contacted when they are due to receive the jab.

Meanwhile, NHS England has today revealed that hundreds of local vaccination services run by family doctors and their teams will open across England this week, as the roll out of the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history gains further momentum.

Practices in more than 100 parts of the country are taking delivery of the vaccine today, with some kicking off their clinics this afternoon and the majority starting on Tuesday.

Groups of health providers are setting up local vaccination centres in villages, towns and cities covering every part of the country.

Nurses, paramedics, pharmacists and other NHS staff will work alongside GPs to vaccinate those aged 80 and over, as well as care home workers and residents, identified as priority groups for the life-saving vaccine.

Along with other countries in the UK, residents of care homes in England will also receive their first vaccine later this week after distributors finalise new, stringent processes to ensure safe delivery of the PfizerBioNTech vaccine.