ONE hundred thousand Covid-19 vaccinations have now been distributed at the York Vaccination Centre - and a special guest was invited to mark the occasion and thank staff for their efforts.

Nimbuscare, the group of 11 York GP practices which runs the centre at the former Askham Bar Park&Ride site, wanted to mark the milestone and the progress made by the teams since the start of the vaccination programme.

The team at the York site welcomed former BBC Look North presenter, Harry Gration, who thanked the team for their efforts and spoke with Aaron Gordon, who received the 100,000th vaccine at the site.

However, the York milestone came yesterday as health chiefs nationally revealed that the number of people getting the first dose of their Covid-19 jab will be “constrained” as a result of a reduction in the supply available.

NHS leaders said there will be a “significant reduction” in the weekly vaccine supply available from the week beginning March 29. A letter to regional NHS bosses says that the reduction will continue for a “four-week period”.

Madeline Ruff, CEO of Nimbuscare, along with Professor Mike Holmes, who leads the vaccination centre, welcomed the 100,000th jab at the centre in York yesterday.

She said: “This is a great achievement by all those involved in the vaccination centre – it’s been a city-wide approach.

“We’re so grateful to our staff, volunteers, partners and the local businesses involved. It’s been about team work right from the start. York should be very proud of what we have achieved here to date.

“We’ve estimated that here at the Vaccination Centre we’ve consistently delivered around one in every 250 of the vaccines carried out nationally.

“We think we have the capability to vaccinate all our over 50s by Easter if we can carry on at the same rate.

“We also want to thank all the 100,000 patients who have taken up their invite and booked in for their jab. We enjoy their smiles and messages of thanks and it gives our teams a real boost to see the difference they are making to people’s lives.”

The NHS also revealed yesterday that Covid vaccinations will now be available to people aged 50 and over, which also marked 100 days since the vaccination programme began in the UK on December 8 last year.

Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said: “The UK’s vaccination rollout is a national success story. It’s a tribute to everyone involved and shows what our country can achieve when we work together.

“I’m delighted we are now expanding the rollout and inviting those aged 50-54 to book appointments.

“I’m determined that no one should miss out on the chance to protect themselves and the people they love or care for, and I urge everyone who’s eligible for the vaccine to come forward.”

Healthcare teams continue to urge anyone yet to be vaccinated to take up the offer as around two million additional text messages were sent out yesterday with a link allowing people also to pick a convenient slot at an NHS vaccine centre, or pharmacy-led service through the national booking service website.

Text invitations appear as an alert from ‘NHSvaccine’, including a web link to click and reserve an appointment. People who cannot go online can call the service on 119.

Vaccinations are now being administered at more than 1,600 sites across the country, including mosques, museums and rugby grounds, meaning 98 per cent of the country lives within 10 miles of a vaccination service.