A new large-scale Covid-19 vaccination centre is set to open in Loughton.

Murray Hall community centre in Borders Lane will be offering coronavirus vaccinations from Thursday, March 4.

Residents aged over 60 are now being invited to book vaccinations.

GPs have also started inviting a wider group of adults of all ages who have been identified as having underlying health conditions which put them at greater risk.

This includes people who are newly identified as being on the Shielded Patients List and adult carers who are either registered for Carers Allowance or are identified as a carer on their GP records.

The latest batch of invites will mean everyone in the first seven priority groups will have been offered a jab.

The Murray Hall site is being run by Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust (HCT), with the support of Epping Forest District Council, Loughton Town Council, and New City College Epping Forest.

Eligible patients can choose to receive their vaccination at Murray Hall or at GP-led services and other large vaccination sites run by HCT including Harlow Leisurezone.

HCT’s chief executive Elliot Howard-Jones said: “Everyone at Hertfordshire Community NHS Trust and all our partner organisations have been working very hard in the lead up to opening this centre in Loughton. My sincere thanks go to our project team and our school age immunisation team who are working around the clock to deliver this programme.”

Rob Gerlis, West Essex CCG chair and Harlow GP, said: “We are thrilled to be opening a new vaccination centre in west Essex. This means many more people will be able to book their vaccinations locally and have the choice between going to a GP-led vaccination service or a larger site.

“West Essex CCG would like to thank all the vaccination teams and volunteers without whom this could not be possible. The vaccination rollout has been hugely successful and the opening of Murray Hall will build on that in the weeks and months ahead.”

Epping Forest Guardian:

For more breaking news, local headlines and features, ‘like’ our Facebook page.

We also have a Twitter account: @EppingFGuardian

Follow us to keep up-to-date with news in Epping Forest.