COLCHESTER Hospital is set to be one of the first sites to administer the Covid-19 vaccine.

A total of 50 hospitals are ready to roll out the Pfizer and BioNTech coronavirus vaccine from next week.

First to receive the virus will be people in care homes and their carers.

The vaccine has been shown in studies to be 95 per cent effective and works in all age groups.

The UK has ordered 40 million doses, enough to vaccinate 20 million people with two doses, given 21 days apart.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said 800,000 doses of the jab will arrive next week.

He said millions more doses were due in the coming weeks.

Studies of the vaccine show it has to be stored at minus 70C but is also stable at 2C to 8C for a short time, meaning it could possibly be sent to different locations.

Here is the list of NHS England hospitals ready to start Covid vaccinations next week:

  • Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Chesterfield Royal Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Croydon University Hospital NHS Trust
  • Dartford & Gravesham NHS Trust
  • Dorset County Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • East and North Hertfordshire NHS Trust
  • East Kent Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust (Colchester Hospital)
  • Frimley Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Guys & St Thomas NHS Trust
  • James Paget University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Kings College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
  • Kings College Hospital - Princess Royal University Hospital
  • Lancashire Teaching Hospital Trust
  • Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Leicester Partnership NHS Trust
  • Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Medway NHS Foundation Trust
  • Mid and South Essex Hospitals Trust
  • Milton Keynes University Hospital
  • Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital
  • Northampton General Hospital NHS Trust
  • North Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
  • North West Anglia Foundation Trust
  • Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
  • Portsmouth Hospital University Trust
  • Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
  • Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust
  • Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
  • St George’s University Hospitals NHS FT
  • The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
  • University College Hospitals Trust
  • University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust
  • University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire
  • University Hospitals Derby Burton NHS FT
  • University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust
  • University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust
  • United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Wirral University Teaching Hospital
  • Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
  • Yeovil District Hospital NHS Foundation Trust