First Sunderland vaccine site and dates revealed - 6,000 jabs to be delivered to city in one week

Grindon Lane Primary Care Centre has been chosen as the first location for the scheme as it begins to be rolled out, with care home residents over 80 and a number of NHS staff at the front of the queue.

The jab will start to be delivered in Sunderland from Tuesday, December 15 with the first batch of the Pfizer/BioNTech to be delivered in the city.

Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust has been chosen to manage the programme in the North East.

The initial pack of of the vaccines, which are divided up into 975 doses, will then be followed by further delivery the next day, with around 6,000 doses to be delivered within the week.

Sunderland City Council leader Councillor Graeme Miller said: “Grindon Lane will be the main centre, it’s got good access, car parks and has NHS facilities capable of doing this.

"The local authority is acting in a supporting role and the NHS is in control of the project and they are responsible for the logistics and work otherwise.

"We will have to have more of these across the city, but this will run the first site.”

He also urged people to continue to stick to the rules to help keep the virus down while the vaccination scheme – which is likely to run far into 2021 – is rolled out.

He added his concern that answers had not been given as the council sought information about the programme from the Government.

"Over 80s and some NHS need them, but we have been asking questions about what’s happening for the care homes and it’s just silence,” he said.

"Care homes are shouting out for the vaccines.

"The Government said it was putting a ring of steel around them, but instead it’s been toilet roll.

"I call this the Mum Test, how would you feel if it was your mum, dad, gran or granddad living in a care home, because they should be given it first because they are in the most vulnerable group.”

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