February 19, 2021 12.35 pm This story is over 37 months old

Vaccinations start for over 65s in Lincolnshire

Moving onto the next priority groups
| Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite
By Local Democracy Reporter

Lincolnshire’s vaccination rollout will now move onto the next priority groups after successfully providing over 70s with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Over 203,000 vaccinations have taken place in Lincolnshire between December 8 and February 14, according to the latest NHS England data.

The county’s progress with administering the vaccine has meant that the rollout can now move onto the next priority groups, cohorts five and six.

This means that over 65s and all people aged between 16 and 64 with underlying health conditions are now next in line for the dose.

Some of the underlying health conditions in group six include heart disease, diabetes, morbid obesity, severe mental illness, or anything that puts people at a higher risk of serious disease or mortality.

Some letters have already been sent out to those who are next up for the vaccine, and people are still being urged not to contact their GP unless they have specifically asked you to.

If you have been offered the coronavirus vaccine, you can have an appointment at a local vaccination site via your local GP, who will contact you directly.

Alternatively, you can book an appointment at a large vaccination centre, either online or by calling 119.

There are now two large vaccination centres in Lincolnshire, one at the Lincolnshire Showground and another at Princess Arena Sports Centre in Boston.

These centres can handle up to 1,000 and 1,500 vaccine doses every single day respectively.

If you are one of the additional 1.7 million people required to shield until the end of March, the NHS will contact you to arrange a vaccination if you haven’t had it already.

So far, 97% of over 80s in Lincolnshire have had their first dose, and a third of the eligible population in the county have been vaccinated.

It is hoped that everyone in the first nine priority groups, including over 50s, will be offered their first dose by the end of April.