MORE than 900 elderly and vulnerable residents aged 80 and over are set to be vaccinated against coronavirus in Petersfield’s Festival Hall.

Led by Dr Richard Kershaw of the Swan Surgery in the town, doctors and nurses from nine local surgeries, including The Grange in Petersfield, and Liss and Liphook practices, began vaccinating on Wednesday, December 16.

He said: “We have 975 vaccination injections – there will be marshals in the Festival Hall car park to make sure parking goes smoothly, and people know where to go.

“Parking will be free, and if needed the marshals will also help those arriving to the hall.

“Then in 21 days’ time those we have vaccinated will come back for a second injection, and that’s it done.”

Entry to the hall will be through the doors opposite the open-air swimming pool, not the doors at the front.

Those eligible in the Petersfield area got their notification letters last week, with the first injection at 9am today.

The Festival Hall is one of just seven centres in Hampshire providing the first wave Pfizer/BioNTech vaccinations.

The others are in Basingstoke, Portsmouth, Fareham, New Milton, Winchester and Bursledon.

The teams have been given up to a week to deliver their 975 local vaccinations as part of the Wave One programme.

This is because of storage concerns about the vaccine, which must be kept refrigerated.

GP-run vaccination sites – like the Festival Hall – will be supplied with IT equipment, a fridge, access to training and further support if required.

During the vaccination programme, the GP-led teams are ‘top priority,’ says NHS England. Surgery appointments will be cancelled if more doctors and nurses are needed to keep the vaccination centres on schedule, added the NHS.

Hospitals like the Queen Alexandra (QA) in Portsmouth started vaccinations on December 8.

The first QA patient to be injected was 99-year-old Michael Tibbs from Lynchmere on the Liphook to Haslemere road.