WESTMORLAND General Hospital in Kendal has begun rollout of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination against coronavirus.

The hospital trust in south Cumbria only received news of the imminent arrival of the vaccine on Friday. It had just 48 hours to set up a vaccination hub ahead of the first jabs, which were administered yesterday.

“Our team worked extremely hard over the weekend to decant the old Langdale Ward and get the vaccination hub ready," said Ian Cummings, estates maintenance services manager at the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.

“It was a significant challenge but we’re a tight team and we understood how important it was to roll out the vaccination programme as soon as possible. I’m hugely proud of our team’s achievements.

“The estates teams across the trust have gone the extra mile during the pandemic."

Mr Cummings is well aware of the danger Covid-19 poses, having ended up on oxygen in hospital for two-and-a-half days when he contracted the virus.

He said: "It was extremely scary and I am glad that I have now had my vaccination.”

People who are eligible to receive the vaccine will receive an invitation to book an appointment. For most people this will be a letter, either from their GP or the NHS. Residents are asked not to contact the NHS to book an appointment until they have received this letter.