THE mass coronavirus vaccination centre at Malvern's Three Counties Showground will open next week, the NHS has said.

More than two months after the Hereford Times reported a site was being prepared at the showground, NHS bosses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire confirmed the centre will open on March 2.

It will be the second mass coronavirus vaccination centre to offer vaccinations to Herefordshire patients, with the other at Elgar House in Hereford's Holmer Road.

The Herefordshire and Worcestershire Clinical Commissioning Group said the centre's opening will be "another significant milestone in the growing vaccination programme".

The site at the Three Counties is being run by SW Healthcare and plans to begin vaccinations from Tuesday, March 2, and the company also runs the Artrix Theatre and St Peter’s vaccination centres.

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Dr Gemma Moore, GP and clinical director for SW Healthcare, said: “This vaccination centre will further increase our local capacity to deliver Covid-19 vaccines, building upon the success of our GP-led teams and those at the other centres in delivering this programme so quickly across the two counties.

“These have been instrumental in helping us to introduce the vaccine in Herefordshire and Worcestershire so far, and we look forward to continuing to drive this programme forward.

“We will be inviting patients based on the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) priority list, targeting the most vulnerable patients first. We’re asking patients not to attend the centre if they haven’t booked an appointment.”

“GP-led teams will also be continuing to invite patients to attend local vaccination sites, so those patients who are unable to get to the larger centres can still wait to be called forward by their GP.”

Ken Nottage, Three Counties Showground chief executive said: “Three Counties is proud and honoured to host a vaccination centre for Herefordshire and Worcestershire.

“This is not a commercial venture for Three Counties but rather an opportunity for us to play our part in supporting the national challenge to combat Covid-19. We have been extremely impressed with the planning and effort that has gone into establishing this facility which is testament to the determination of the NHS to deliver a mass vaccination programme.

“I would encourage the public to play their part now by having a vaccination when they are invited to.”

Over the coming weeks people will continue to be invited to take up the offer to be vaccinated according to the eligible cohorts as outlined nationally by the JCVI.

The NHS reminded people to wait for their invite as the centre will not be a drop-in service.

The site will operate in addition to the five GP-led hubs already open in Ledbury, Leominster, Hereford and Ross-on-Wye.