The first coronavirus vaccines will be given to patients in Norfolk and Waveney from tomorrow (Wednesday, December 9), it has been confirmed.

The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston, which have been designated as vaccination hubs, will begin giving injections in the morning.

People aged 80 and over, care home workers and NHS workers who are at higher risk the first to receive the vaccine.

The NHS in Norfolk and Waveney has started inviting care home workers and members of the public who are 80 and over, to attend appointments to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.

Dr Anoop Dhesi, chairman of NHS Norfolk and Waveney Clinical Commissioning Group, said: "Initial supplies of the vaccine are limited and being given to those most at risk from Covid-19 including a small number for at risk frontline NHS staff.

"People over the age of 80 will be contacted by their GP practice. All people due to be vaccinated will be asked to fill in a health screening questionnaire and consent form.

"Vaccinating all adults will be a marathon not a sprint. The first community vaccination sites will begin operating later in the month.

"The Covid-19 vaccination programme has been planned extensively by the NHS so it can be rolled out as quickly and safely as possible.

"This programme of vaccination is the largest in the history of the NHS.

"Over the coming months people will be invited when it’s their turn to be vaccinated. Do not ask your GP or hospital, please wait for your invite.

"In the meantime, the best thing we can all do to protect ourselves, our families and our communities is to wash hands, cover face, and make space."

The UK had ordered 40 million doses of the Pfizer jab, enough to vaccinate 20 million people, as people need to receive two doses.

There are 800,000 doses in the first tranche, meaning that 400,000 people will be vaccinated initially.

British grandmother Margaret Keenan, 90, become the first person in the world to receive Pfizer's Covid-19 jab outside a clinical trial as the NHS began its mass vaccination programme across the UK today (Tuesday, December 8).

She was given the jab in Coventry at 6.31am on Tuesday, marking the start of a phased NHS rollout of the vaccine to older people, health staff and care home workers.

Jabs are being administered at 70 hospital hubs across the UK from today - dubbed "V-Day" by health secretary Matt Hancock.

Lists of people to be vaccinated in care homes have also been produced, although the logistics around how they will get the vaccines are still being worked through.

The Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine needs to be stored at minus 70C before being thawed out and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used.

The vaccine boxes containing 975 doses will need to be split so that they can be taken to care homes - and approval is needed for that be allowed.

The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn is not one of the vaccination hubs, so people in the west of the county will need to travel to other hospitals.

But it has been chosen as a wave two site.That means it will start receiving vaccines shortly to vaccinate members of staff.