Ludlow Racecourse is one of 39 new large-scale NHS vaccination centres to go live in the country this week along with 63 more pharmacy-led sites as the biggest immunisation programme in health service history continues to accelerate.

The expansion follows a major milestone with residents at all eligible care homes having been offered a jab where safe to do so, protecting one of the most at-risk groups in the country.

Ludlow Racecourse, Kingston Centre, Stafford, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln , St Peters Church, Worcester and The Indoor Bowls Centre, Shrewsbury, join almost 40 new large-scale vaccination centres opening across England.

There are now almost 90 large vaccination centres and 195 sites run by High Street pharmacies where people aged 70 or over can arrange a jab through the national booking service.

Those who would prefer can wait to be invited to one of more than 1,000 GP-led services or more than 250 hospital hubs.

Professor Stephen Powis, NHS national medical director said: “The NHS Vaccination programme, the biggest in health service history, is off to a strong start with more than nine million jabs delivered across England.

“I’ve seen first-hand what getting vaccinated means to those who are jabbed, their families and loved ones, and as more supply becomes available, we are able to expand the scale of this huge programme.

“These new sites will mean even more people live nearby to a large-scale vaccination centre or community pharmacy, which along with the incredible work of our local GPs, pharmacists and their healthcare teams, will allow us to rapidly vaccinate the most vulnerable in our society.”

Millions of letters have already been sent out to those eligible to get their jabs at the major vaccination sites across the country.

These top four priority cohorts are decided by the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), which the NHS follows.

Nobody needs to contact the NHS, as people will be invited when it is their turn and people cannot get vaccinated by just turning up.

If anyone has already received a jab since the letter was sent out or would prefer to wait to be invited to attend a hospital or GP service, they can simply ignore it.

The NHS made history when Maggie Keenan became the first person in the world to be protected against coronavirus outside of a clinical trial when she received the Pfizer vaccine at Coventry Hospital on the 8 December.

The NHS was also the first health system to deliver the new Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine when Brian Pinker, 82, was jabbed on January 4.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said: “39 new large-scale vaccination centres and an extra 65 pharmacy sites will help us meet our target of offering the most vulnerable, and those who care for them, their first jab by 15 February.”

Vaccine Deployment Minister Nadhim Zahawi said: “With more and more vaccination sites opening every week, we are making sure millions of people are getting protected against the virus, bringing us closer to getting society back up and running again, and I thank everyone involved with this monumental rollout effort.

“We urge everyone to take up the offer of a jab when you get the call – COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective, and will save thousands of lives.”