CORONAVIRUS vaccinations are now being offered at Broomfield Hospital.

The Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust has confirmed the hospital near Chelmsford began giving patients the jab on Tuesday.

The trust says priority is being given to the anyone over 80 and to frontline health and care staff.

It will ease concerns about a lack of vaccinations centres in mid Essex, which has two others based in the Maldon and Chelmsford areas.

The NHS says it is working on setting up further hubs around the county.

But a spokesman has been unable to provide any details on when one will open in the Braintree district, which still does not have a vaccine centre.

He said: "This is the biggest vaccination programme the NHS has ever undertaken and we are delighted to have already vaccinated thousands of people across Essex.

"We will continue to roll out the vaccine across the county as planned, with more local vaccination sites due to come online over the coming weeks."

Residents in the Braintree district have raised concerns about having to travel outside of the area to be immunised.

One man living in Great Yeldham says he faces an 80-mile round trip to Basildon to get his jab.