A public vaccination centre has opened at a pharmacy in St Albans.

Independent pharmacy Imed, which is based in Charrington Place, near St Albans City station, is among three new pharmacy NHS vaccination centres which have opened in south west Hertfordshire.

Like with the GP-led vaccination centres at Batchwood Hall in St Albans and in Harpenden, as well as the the mass NHS vaccination centre in Stevenage, appointments at Imed can only be booked through the NHS national Covid-19 vaccination booking system.

Patients who are eligible to book will receive an invitation letter from the NHS which gives a website and phone number for the national system. This allows patients to book an appointment at a growing range of places.

The pharmacy sites on the national booking system are larger sites that have the capability of vaccinating a minimum of 1,000 patients a week, once sites are fully up and running and subject to vaccine supplies.

Arrangements are being put in place to support patients in accessing the pharmacy sites. The local NHS is liaising with local councils on parking arrangements and Communities First is offering volunteer marshals.

Hertfordshire's director of public health Jim McManus revealed last week as of January 22, 70 per cent of Hertfordshire residents aged 80 or over have had their first dose of vaccine (43,047 people), while 23 per cent of Hertfordshire residents aged 75-79 have now had their first dose (9,243).

Meanwhile, 59 per cent of NHS and social care staff have had their first dose.

A total of 6,169,377 Covid-19 vaccinations had taken place in England between December 8 and January 24, according to provisional NHS England data.

Dr Nicolas Small, GP board chairman of Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group said: "This is the biggest vaccination programme the NHS has ever undertaken, and NHS staff have done an incredible job in vaccinating many thousands of vulnerable patients in these local vaccination sites across our area in a number of weeks.

"Our local GP-run services are also vaccinating care homes residents and staff and we are making good progress."