The vaccination programme is rolling out as planned despite not starting until the new year, the Health Minister says.

David Ashford announced on Sunday that the island’s biggest ever mass vaccination programme will not start until January 4.

Invitations were sent out last Thursday to the medically vulnerable and high priority healthworkers and care home/social care staff to register for their jab.

Appointments are now being given for these groups.

Mr Ashford said: ’We had thought it might be possible to start vaccinating from Monday, but with a small number of critical issues outstanding, the practical option is to start on the next available date, January 4.

’It is not sensible to start with so little margin in the immediate run up to Christmas Day, and we will not rush things during an already very busy period for our health services. This is a considerably difficult logistical programme to deliver,’ Mr Ashford told the House of Keys.

The delivery schedule is set by the UK and this changed from daily to weekly a fortnight ago.

He said the roll-out would begin, subject to safety protocols being in place and the UK finalising Crown indemnity.

Mr Ashford said a central vaccination hub would be located at the airport.

Bill Shimmins (Middle) suggested that we are the slowest part of the British islands to roll-out the vaccine.

Mr Ashford replied that we had received our first two trays of vaccines to inoculate up to 975 people and once this was ’out there’ we would actually have rolled it out faster per population than the UK.

The island is getting 51,500 doses of the Pfizer vaccine, enough to vaccinate 25,750 people.

Mr Ashford said the island would be entitled to about 130,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine, expected to get approval early in the new year and which unlike Pfizer can be stored at fridge temperature.

This would be enough to vaccinate 65,500. We would also get 9,100 doses of the US Moderna vaccine.

Mr Shimmins asked if vaccines should be prioritised for patients travelling across for urgent treatment.

Mr Ashford said some patients would have conditions which meant they could not have the vaccine - while others are already a priority due to their age.

He said the vaccine priority of patient transfer cases would be reviewed in January

Eight people have contracted the virus as a result of patient transfer so far, MHKs were told.

He said the central hub would be up and running in two to three months’ time, once other priority groups had been vaccinated including those in nursing homes and frontline care staff.

lOne new case of Covid has been detected in the Isle of Man, the Department of Health announced yesterday (Monday).

The individual was identified over the weekend via the key worker pathway following their journey here, the government confirmed.

Contact tracing identified one close contact who has since tested negative for Covid.

Both individuals are self-isolating for 14 days following their test.

The current number of active cases in the island now stands at three.