YORK residents as young as 60 can now book themselves a Covid jab, The Press can reveal.

Many people in their early 60s wrongly believe they must wait for a letter, text or phone call to be invited to get themselves vaccinated against the coronavirus.

But they can instead go on to an NHS website, type in a few key details about themselves and - if eligible - book themselves a slot, for example at the national vaccination centre on the former Askham Bar Park & Ride site.

For example, Chief Reporter Mike Laycock, who is 61, was able to go online on Tuesday and book himself in for a jab this morning.

He said: "It was really straightforward. All you have to do is Google 'book a coronavirus vaccination' and then click on the NHS website. It says you can only book with it if you are 64 or over, or are eligible for other reasons, but this appears to be out of date.

"I am 61 and I have a friend in York who is 60, who has also been able to book himself a jab.

"They ask you to type in your NHS number if you know it, but it's not a problem if you don't. You just need to give your name, date of birth and postcode, and it tells you if you are eligible or not.

"If you are, you can then proceed to say where you want to have your jab and pick an available and convenient day and a time."

Mike also praised his experience when he visited the Askham Bar site. "There were plenty of helpful stewards to show you where to park your car and how to walk to the centre, which is based in portable buildings," he said.

"After giving my booking details and a temperature test, I stood for about five minutes in a socially distanced queue before being ushered to one of a number of cubicles. I gave a few more details to a doctor there and was then given my jab - the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine - by Dr Rizwaan Chaudhary.

"All the volunteers, nurses and doctors were really helpful and pleasant, and I feel incredibly grateful to them, but also to Professor Mike Holmes and his colleagues at Nimbuscare, which organises the centre so well.

"I'm also grateful to Professor Sarah Gilbert and her colleagues at Oxford University, who created this marvellous vaccine in such a short amount of time, and Astra Zeneca, who are manufacturing it.

"Getting the jab feels such a crucial step out of the nightmare of the past year and has certainly given me a real boost to my morale today."