The roll-out of the first Covid-19 vaccine to have been approved for use by regulators is set to begin on Tuesday (December 8).

Fifty hospitals around the UK have been chosen to act as 'vaccine hubs' to distribute the first batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine but Salisbury's is not among them.

The jab arrived in the UK from Belgium on Thursday. Doses are being stored in undisclosed secure locations to ensure the security of the vaccine and of those storing and delivering it.

The UK has ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech jab, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, as people need to receive two doses.

The first tranche is made up of 800,000 doses, which means 400,000 people will be vaccinated to start with.

The majority of vaccinations will take place in 2021.

'Be patient'

Guidance from Salisbury District Hospital says that people living in the Salisbury area who are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine should wait to be contacted by the NHS, instead of calling their local hospital or GP practice directly.

First in line for the vaccine will be people aged 80 and over, who are already expected to attend hospital, as well as care home staff and the frontline NHS workers most at-risk.

Salisbury NHS Foundation Trust says the hospital is "fully prepared" to receive and administer the vaccine when it is delivered.

However, it's yet to be confirmed when that might be.

Residents are encouraged to show their support for the operation by waiting to be contacted with instructions of how to receive the vaccine, while continuing to observe the current social distancing guidance.

'A huge logistical challenge'

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director, said the distribution of the vaccine would be a "marathon not a sprint" and that the vast majority of over 80s will have to wait until the new year to receive the jab.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, said people need to "hang fire" and be assured they have not been forgotten if they have not received a letter or a phone call.

The rollout of the vaccine, which has been described as "a huge logistical challenge", comes at a time when the NHS is already managing ongoing coronavirus-related challenges, as well as traditional winter pressures.

Vaccine hubs

There are 50 hubs in the first wave of the vaccination programme in England, with more hospitals starting to vaccinate over the coming weeks and months as the programme ramps up.

It is not known when exactly all 50 hubs will receive vaccine doses, as they are starting to administer the jab at different times, but deliveries are expected throughout the week.

The hospital hubs in the first cohort are:

  • Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
  • Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • East Suffolk And North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
  • North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
  • James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Norfolk And Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
  • Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
  • Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
  • Croydon Health Services NHS Trust
  • St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust
  • Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospitals Coventry And Warwickshire NHS Trust
  • Royal Stoke Hospital
  • Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
  • University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust
  • United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Shrewsbury And Telford Hospital NHS Trust
  • Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • North Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
  • Hull University Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
  • The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
  • South Tees NHS Trust
  • Wirral University Teaching Hospital
  • Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
  • Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
  • Blackpool Teaching Hospital
  • Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust
  • Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust - Wexham Park Hospital
  • Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust – William Harvey Hospital
  • Brighton And Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust -  Royal Sussex County Hospital 
  • Portsmouth University Hospitals Trust
  • Royal Surrey NHS Foundation Trust
  • Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Dorset County Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
  • University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
  • Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • North Bristol NHS Trust