A CONCERNED councillor has written to health chiefs asking when Covid-19 vaccinations will take place in Newton Abbot.

Former leader of Teignbridge Council, Cllr Gordon Hook, addressed his letter to Devon County Council chief executive Phil Norrey and the Devon Clinical Commissioning Group.

Cllr Hook writes: ‘I am aware that vaccination roll out is occurring across Devon, and that is welcome.

‘I am aware that many across Teignbridge have received the vaccination, and this started well before Christmas. However, as of this moment I am not aware of a single vaccination of anyone in Newton Abbot.

‘Do you happen to know if/when we will begin to receive the vaccinations?

‘I am receiving communications from worried residents.’

A spokesperson for the NHS in Devon said: ‘The national coronavirus vaccination programme, led by NHS England and NHS Improvement, began before Christmas with hundreds of local vaccination services run by family doctors and their teams opening across England.

‘As part of this, all people in Devon who are eligible will be offered the vaccine according to prioritisation from the national independent Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI).

‘The first phase of GP-led vaccination centres in Devon has seen the opening of 16 sites serving a large proportion of the county’s practices. This has been a monumental effort and we are proud of the frontline health staff that have made possible in just a few weeks what would, in the case of the annual flu vaccination, usually take six months of planning.

‘The sites are being opened in phases.

‘Subject to the completion of assurance processes, we expect further sites across Devon, including in the Teignbridge area, will be announced in the coming days and this will ensure coverage right across Devon.

‘Eligible patients will be contacted when their practice starts to offer these. We know lots of people will be eager to get protected but we are asking people not to contact the NHS and to wait for our call.’