Three-quarters of Northamptonshire's over-80s have had their first Covid vaccine

Northamptonshire is one of just four areas across England to deliver Covid-19 jabs to more than 75 per cent of the county's over-80s.

NHS England figures issued on Thursday revealed details of how the roll-out of vaccinations is progressing locally for the first time. They showed:

■ 25,587 out of an estimated 33,797 over-80s had received at least one dose by Sunday night.

■ 30,975 first doses had gone to healthcare staff, who are also included in the first two priority groups.

■ Nearly 10,000 have already received the vital second dose , including 7,346 over-80s.

Gloucester Sustainability and Transformation Partnership delivered at least one dose of the vaccine to 85 per cent of its over 80s population between December 8 and January 17 while Herefordshire & Worcestershire STP and Healthier Lancashire & South Cumbria matched Northants' effort in reaching at least three-quarters of the area's oldest age group.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson set a target of offering everyone in the top four priority groups — an estimated 15million people — at least a first dose of the vaccine by February 15.

That means delivering jabs to 135,000 in Northants. The list includes:

■ All residents in a care home for older adults and their carers.

■ All those 80 years of age and over and frontline health and social care workers.

■ All those 75 years of age and over.

■ All those 70 years of age and over and clinically extremely vulnerable individuals.

Then the race will be on to give the vital second 'booster' jabs within 12 weeks of the first.

Toby Sanders, the Northamptonshire NHS Clinical Commissioning Group Chief Executive, revealed yesterday invitations for jabs are now going out to over-75s in the county.

He said: "The is a huge number of vaccines delivered in such a short space of time is a testimony to the hard work of all the staff involved.

"We all know delivering this vaccine is the way through this for all of us, not just locally by nationally."

"Our focus has been on the over-80s but we have also made significant progress in delivering vaccinations into care homes using mobile teams.

"As a result of all of that, we are starting to work down the cohorts and there will now be residents in our county in the 75-to-79 age group being contacted by their practices and invited in where appropriate.

"But please, please wait to be contacted by the NHS for your vaccination rather than call your doctors.

"We are working through the priority cohorts and some will be addressed at different speeds in different parts of the county just as a result of when some GP practices went live.

"We are well aware there will be some residents in villages with a neighbour, friend or relative who may have already had an invitation before you. But we will get to you."