New Covid-19 vaccination centre inLuton's Inspire Sports Village

Luton residents aged 65 are some of the first people choosing to book their coronavirus vaccinations at the new centre.

The centre will be manned by volunteers and a number of Easyjet staff, who have been described as a "brilliant addition" to the workforce with their customer service skills.

More than 180,000 people have received their first Covid vaccine so far across Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes, and this new centre is one of six new NHS vaccination centres that open this week in the east of England.

GPs and their teams are inviting those who are at clinical risk, including those identified by the Government’s QCOVID tool and adult carers, to be vaccinated too.

Any members of the public who have been invited for a vaccine but not yet booked, can do so at www.nhs.uk/covid-vaccination. Anyone unable to book online can call 119 free of charge, anytime between 7am and 11pm seven days a week.

Dr Sarah Whiteman, medical director of Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes CCGs said: “We have been working hard with our partner organisations in the lead up to opening the centre today. We can now welcome local people in the prioritised age groups along with health and social care workers from across our area with confirmed appointments to receive their vaccine. This represents another step forward in our response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"My sincere thanks go to everyone, including volunteers, partners and NHS staff, who has worked around the clock to deliver this programme.”

The vaccination centre at Inspire Gym is being run by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT) working with Beds, Luton and Milton Keynes (BLMK) partners. The BLMK and HCT team has set the centre up with the support of Luton Borough Council and Active Luton who are hosting the service.