Coronavirus vaccines have been issued to more patients as another hospital started rolling out the jab.

Medway Maritime Hospital today became the second hospital in Kent to start giving the vaccine to the most vulnerable residents.

The hospital in Gillingham – which is at the forefront of the pandemic and operating under extreme pressure with hundreds of Covid-19 patients – hailed it as "a special day".

The first vaccines were issued this morning to priority groups.

In a tweet, the Medway NHS Trust said: "We are privileged to be able to play a part in delivering this life-saving vaccine."

The trust had initially been listed among the first 53 trusts to receive the jab but in an updated list published by NHS England on December 6, Medway was removed.

Last Thursday, NHS England confirmed the hospital would join 10 more trusts around the country to become vaccine hubs.

It follows William Harvey Hospital in Ashford being authorised by the NHS as Kent's first hospital to begin its vaccination programme last week.

The arrival of the vaccine in Medway comes as infection rates in the Towns passed the 700 cases per 100,000 people mark and confirmation the area would remain fixed in Tier 3 restrictions either side of Christmas.

But council leader Alan Jarrett (Con) says "it's not all disappointing news".

He said: "Medway has the highest testing rate in the south-east. We were the first area regionally to launch community testing for people without symptoms and, although I appreciate this will identify more cases, it is helping to stop the spread of the virus of those unknowingly infected.

"This will, gradually over time, help to reduce the number of cases we see locally."

Some 14,000 people have been tested as part of the asymptomatic testing programme launched in Medway earlier this month and more than 125 tested positive.

"We are privileged to be able to play a part in delivering this life-saving vaccine..."

GP surgeries have also started taking part in the vaccine programme – the largest ever carried out in the country's history.

Nine primary care networks (PCNs) across Kent started taking patients from Tuesday.

The most vulnerable in the community – the elderly, frontline workers and those with background health issues – will be invited by the NHS to receive their vaccine according to a national prioritisation list.

Patients are advised to wait as no walk-in or drive-in vaccination services are currently available.

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