Thousands of Doncaster OAPs may struggle to get out for coronavirus vaccines

Residents aged over 80 will be the first age group to be offered the jabs, after they have been distributed among residents and staff of care homes for the elderly.

But official figures reveal that around 2,600 of that 15,600-strong age group in Doncaster are housebound, said Dr David Crichton, a GP in Bentley and chairman of the Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group,

Dr Crichton told the Free Press he was keen for the the NHS to reach out and communicate to older people about the jabs to make sure they could receive them.

GPs are now looking at setting up community hubs in the borough to give the injections in locations around the area.

Talks have already been held among borough officials to look at how things may work.

Practices have already been asked if they want to take part in the hubs, which would be staffed by local practices

Dr Crichton said the doctors did not yet know when the vaccines would be available for the over 80s group.

It is understood that the NHS will be contacting people about their jabs when they are due to have them.

"It will depend how many jabs we’ve got and how we’re progressing,” he said.

South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care System last month estimated it would take 10 months to immunise all targeted groups.

Its chief executive, Sir Andrew Cash, said in his monthly report to NHS leaders in November the infrastructure for the national Covid-19 vaccination programme was continuing to be developed.

He stated: “An SYB immunisation programme would span 10 months to cover all of the targeted population with an estimate of around 5,000 vaccines being administered a day.”

At the time it was believed a vaccine could be made available by late-December 2020.

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