ELDERLY residents in north Essex are being urged to be patient after bombarding surgeries with calls for the Covid-19 vaccine.

It comes as GP practices across Colchester and Tendring have been inundated with calls from patients eager for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group has so far given out all the 2,000 doses it had, mostly to vulnerable and high-risk patients in their 80s.

They were vaccinated over the past two weeks at temporary clinics set up at the St Helena Hospice’s Tendring Centre in Clacton and Colchester Primary Care Centre.

It is understood that across north east Essex and south Suffolk that there are 20 primary care sites and 16 temporary mass vaccination sites being geared up to deliver the vaccine from as early as January 11.

The NHS said it will contact people in the priority groups when it is their turn to receive the vaccine, and people are urged not to contact their practice.

A spokesman for the CCG said: “Surgeries have been bombarded with calls by people asking when they will get the vaccine, but the message is that we are asking people to be patient.

“The primary care centre has finished its doses and we have no more in our system,” a spokesman for the CCG said.

“At the moment we are waiting for more of the vaccine.

“So far we have had 2,000 doses between the two centres in north east Essex.

“When we get the vaccine in the New Year they will continue to go to the over 80s first.

“They will be contacted proactively by their surgery or CCG staff.

“We will get to them before starting on other groups, although people with respiratory conditions or cancer will also be more likely to get it first.

“Even if you are 80 and over and don’t get a call straight away, don’t worry as you will be contacted as long as you are registered with a local surgery – they will get to you.

“Once we get to everybody in that age bracket, we will the roll it out to the next cohort down.”

It is not yet known how much of the vaccine the CCG will receive or whether all the sites being lined up will be used.

Only Gainsborough Sport Centre in Ipswich has been confirmed site and it is understood that Walton’s Columbine Centre could also be used.

Patients who are vaccinated must return in 21 days for the second of two jabs.

The vaccine will not offer patients the maximum protection until a week after the second injection.

They are still being advised to be responsible by washing their hands and maintaining social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus to others.

The Pfizer-BioNTech must be kept at very low temperatures and has to be administered within 3.5 days after being thawed and transported.