Coronavirus vaccinations will start at an Oxford hospital next week, it has been confirmed.

Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) was announced by the government as one of 50 hospital hubs which will make up the first wave of its mass vaccination programme.

The trust runs the John Radcliffe, Churchill and Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, as well as Banbury's Horton General Hospital.

Dr Bruno Holthof, Chief Executive of OUH has announced this morning that it will be Oxford's Churchill Hospital which will be the hub site.

He said: “We are very proud that the Churchill Hospital in Oxford has been chosen as one of the first Covid-19 vaccination hospital hubs and I would like to pay tribute to our estates, digital, procurement and clinical staff who have worked incredibly hard to get our hub ready in a very short space of time.

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"We look forward to playing our part in this historic Covid-19 vaccination programme which will bring real hope to the communities we serve.”

People aged 80 and over as well as care home workers will be first to receive the Pfizer jab, along with NHS workers who are at higher risk.

A first round of jabs are due to arrive at hospitals on Monday, in preparation to begin vaccinations on Tuesday.

All those vaccinated will need a booster jab 21 days later.

The Pfizer jab present a logistal challenge to the NHS, as it needs to be stored at -70C before being thawed out and can only be moved four times within that cold chain before being used.