A new Covid vaccination centre has opened at Chelmsford City Racecourse today (Monday, 1 February).

The centre in Great Leighs, Chelmsford started delivering the life-saving vaccines to people in the top four priority groups this morning.

It is one of five new mass vaccination centres opening in the county this week. The others are at:

-Colchester United Football Club

-The Cliffs Pavilion, Southend

-Clacton Hospital

-The Alastair Farquharson Centre at Thurrock Community Hospital, Grays.

Fraser Garrity, Manager of Chelmsford City Racecourse, said: "We're so pleased to be able to play a small part in helping the NHS carry out this vital function for the local community.

"Our facilities have hosted a wide range of big conferences and events since we opened in 2015, but this is the most important task they will ever be used for."

Maldon MP: "This will allow us to speed up vaccination locally even further."

Welcoming the news, Maldon MP John Whittingdale said: "I am delighted that a further mass vaccine centre is to be opened at Chelmsford City Racecourse which will allow us to speed up vaccination locally even further."

Mr Whittingdale added: "As of 4pm on 30 January, 8,378,940 people in the UK have received their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccination, and at least 2.5million of those vaccinated are over 80 years of age.

"This means that the UK has vaccinated a higher proportion of its total population than any other country in the world except Israel and the UAE.

"Looking ahead, our vaccine supply and scheduled deliveries mean we are on track to offer vaccinations to all those in the priority cohorts 1 to 4 by 15 February. While meeting this target is a challenge, we are on track to meet it. The Covid-19 vaccination programme is the biggest vaccination programme in NHS history. In the week to 26 January, the UK administered an average of 0.54 Covid-19 vaccination doses per 100 population per day - almost 5 times more than Germany."

"This is a fantastic achievement first by our scientists who have helped develop several effective vaccines, and second by the NHS staff and volunteers who are rolling out delivery so quickly. As the number of the most vulnerable people protected increases, we can at last look forward to a time when restriction can be fully lifted and normality returns.

"However, for the moment, our NHS continues to be under serious pressure and it is vital that we all continue to follow the rules: stay home, save lives, protect the NHS."

Nigel Leonard, Executive Director of Strategy and Transformation at Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT), which is coordinating the large vaccination centres across Mid and South Essex and Suffolk and North East Essex, said: "The opening of these centres will have a huge impact on our ability to accelerate vaccinations to the people of Essex and protect those most at risk as quickly as possible.

"I would like to thank my NHS colleagues, partners and everyone involved for their incredible work and dedication to enable these centres to open as quickly as possible."

The NHS is urging people only to come to a vaccination centre when invited to do so, to help ensure that priority groups are served first and to maintain safe social distancing at every venue. Anyone attending for their vaccine should arrive no more than five minutes before their appointment.