Roll-out of the coronavirus vaccine has moved up a gear, with another 11 Norfolk sites set to begin offering jabs in the coming days.

Two more GP surgeries, Bowthorpe Medical Practice in Norwich and The Park Surgery in Great Yarmouth, will join nine centres which are already administering vaccines.

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From tomorrow (Friday, January 8), the sites will act as primary care hubs, vaccinating patients registered with their own practice as well as patients from neighbouring surgeries.

Hubs are working closely with neighbouring practices as part of Primary Care Networks (PCNs), providing a wider geographical spread of locations.

And next week, a further nine GP-led sites will join the programme, taking the total number in Norfolk and Waveney to 20.

They are:

  • Drayton Medical Practice
  • Sheringham Medical Practice
  • The Market Surgery, Aylsham
  • Manor Farm Medical Centre, Swaffham
  • Poringland Community Centre
  • Gurney Surgery, Norwich
  • Hoveton Village Hall
  • Rossis Leisure, North Walsham
  • Snettisham Surgery

Across the border, in west Suffolk, jabs will be given out from Monday (January 11) at the Jubilee Centre in Mildenhall, serving people in the old Forest Heath district.

In east Suffolk, Sole Bay Health Centre, in Southwold, has also been designated as a vaccination site from next week.

Lowestoft Journal: More coronavirus vaccination centres are set to open in Norfolk and WaveneyMore coronavirus vaccination centres are set to open in Norfolk and Waveney

Dr Nick Morton, lead GP at the Trinity and Bowthorpe Medical Practice said: “We are delighted to be delivering the vaccine to our patients and those of neighbouring GP surgeries across Norwich.

"This is the biggest vaccination programme the NHS has ever seen and will take some weeks and months, but it is amazing to be part of it."

Dr Luke Gardner, lead GP at The Park Surgery, added: “We are overjoyed to be delivering the vaccine to our patients in Great Yarmouth and the northern villages area.

"All of our practices teams, support staff and wider agencies have worked incredibly hard to get the vaccinations up and running, and we would like to say a massive thank you to them."

Lowestoft Journal: More coronavirus vaccination centres are set to open in Norfolk and WaveneyMore coronavirus vaccination centres are set to open in Norfolk and Waveney (Image: John Cairns/University of Oxford/PA Wire)

Since the roll-out was launched in early December, the region's three main hospitals - the Norfolk and Norwich (NNUH), Queen Elizabeth (QEH) in King's Lynn and James Paget (JPUH) in Gorleston - have all had access to vaccine doses.

NNUH and JPUH were among the country's first 50 hospitals to administer the jab, in early December, before QEH joined the programme last week.

Nine Norfolk and Waveney GP surgeries have also been giving out the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

However, from today (January 7), NHS practitioners across the nation are beginning to give out the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, which is cheaper and easier to store.

The 11 newly-announced sites join the existing Norfolk and Waveney-based PCNs, which are:

  • Cringleford Surgery
  • Fakenham Medical Practice
  • Falkland Surgery (Great Yarmouth)
  • Kirkley Mill (Lowestoft)
  • Lionwood Medical Practice (Norwich)
  • St James Medical Practice (King's Lynn)
  • Swanton Morley Surgery
  • Terrington St Johns Surgery
  • Thetford Healthy Living Centre.

NHS England is imploring people not to attend local surgeries or hospitals for a vaccine unless contacted about an appointment.