A theatre is due to open as a mass vaccination centre as the roll out in Kent ramps up next week.

The Woodville Halls in Gravesend will become a hub offering thousands of vaccines to residents across north Kent every week.

The news, revealed by KentOnline earlier this morning, was confirmed by the NHS which said the centre will open on Tuesday to residents living within a 45-minute distance from the centre.

The theatre, forced to temporarily close due to the pandemic lockdowns, is owned by Gravesham council which has been working with NHS bosses to prepare the site. The council is offering an hour's free parking in a dedicated area of the Parrock Street car park for people attending the vaccination centre.

Further details about other centres are yet to be confirmed but health officials this week revealed in a public meeting there will be more sites in Thanet and Maidstone.

The Woodville is the first of three new sites in Kent to be announced by the NHS after the first mass centre opened in Folkestone on Tuesday after it was confirmed late last week.

They will be run by the Kent Community Health NHS Trust (KCHFT) taking the total across the county to four.

KCHFT chief executive Paul Bentley said: “To be able to open the second large vaccination centre in Gravesend within a week of our first one in Folkestone is a testament to everyone’s desire to get the job done and protect our most vulnerable quickly.

“We know that some of the levels of virus have been particularly high in north Kent, so we are delighted to be opening a vaccination centre in Gravesend – inviting the over 70s.

“Every jab we give we know could be life-saving – so we are delighted to be playing such a vital role in the biggest immunisation rollout the NHS has ever seen and we are hugely grateful for the support of Gravesham Borough Council.”

Cllr John Burden (Lab), leader of Gravesham council, said: “The Woodville has been at the heart of the Gravesham community for many years. It seems only right that it should take on this vitally important role in protecting local people from this dreadful virus.

“We are happy to be able to put it at the disposal of the vaccination team and I pay tribute to staff from the NHS, The Woodville and the council, who have worked so hard in recent days to get the centre up and running.’’

As a show of support, an hour’s free parking will be available in a reserved area of Parrock Street car park, for those attending the vaccination centre. Be prepared to show confirmation of your appointment to access parking.

Gurvinder Sandher, from Kent Equality Cohesion Council, said “I am aware in other parts of the country people from BAME communities have not taken up the offer of the vaccine as we had hoped.

"It seems only right The Woodville should take on this vitally important role in protecting local people from this dreadful virus..."

"Sadly, nearly all of us know someone who has been very unwell with, or died from Covid. We would urge people when you receive your invitation to book your vaccine, don’t put it off.”

Capacity will be managed on a flexible basis depending on the level of vaccine supplies and demand for appointments but is capable of "delivering thousands of vaccinations each week".

A spokesman from the KCHFT said: "People who book in to a vaccine centre will receive a pre-vaccination assessment before they receive their vaccine.

"Appointments are staggered to allow for social distancing and people are urged not to turn up early to avoid queues. Anyone having the vaccine will need to wait for 15 minutes before driving."

Patients will be invited to book an appointment via letter from the NHS and nobody needs to contact their doctor or any other branch of the health service.

The appointments will be released based on the national priority system and Mr Bentley confirmed this will also include the over 70s as the NHS expands the roll out to other cohorts of patients.

"To be able to open the second large vaccination centre in Gravesend within a week of our first one in Folkestone is a testament to everyone..."

But an average of 13,000 people per day need to be vaccinated if the government target to innoculate the most vulnerable people is to be reached in Kent and Medway.

It was revealed yesterday 60% of those in the top four priority groups have not yet received their first dose of the vaccination.

The additional sites are set to help the NHS rapidly increase vaccine capacity throughout the county while pharmacies and GP surgeries continue to administer the jabs.

The Folkestone centre, located in the town's former Debenhams store, can handle 3,000 per day at full capacity.

The Kent and Medway CCG (Clinical Commissioning Group) has calculated 411,000 people are in the top four groups.

But figures published by NHS England on Thursday confirmed 173,684 vaccines had been issued meaning 240,000 people in Kent need to be vaccinated if the government is to achieve its target to innoculate all those most at risk by February 15.

The data showed 72% of the over 80s in Kent and Medway had been vaccinated while 21,800 people have also received their second dose.

Along with the three new mass vaccine centres, Medway Maritime Hospital will expand its vaccination capacity and open up appointments at weekends for members of the public to recieve a jab.

The new clinics, which are set to begin in February, will provide hundreds of vaccines to the community.

The hospital is currently vaccinating trust staff and patients coming to or staying in the hospital.

MPs in Medway are continuing to press government for a dedicated centre in the Towns.

It comes after Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed to Gillingham and Rainham MP Rehman Chishti in parliament on Wednesday there would be a mass centre for Medway.

Mr Chishti asked for an assurance to which Mr Johnson replied there would be a centre "near him" and the government was working on plans.

But concerns have been expressed over whether the supply of vaccines can keep up with demand.

North Thanet MP Sir Roger Gale said he was "gravely concerned" about an apparent shortage of Covid vaccines in Kent. He said the government must ensure local primary care networks are adequately supplied, before rolling out more vaccination sites and offering jabs to those in lower age brackets.

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