"Northamptonshire is going great guns...but that doesn't happen by magic, it happens by hard graft"

Health Secretary Matt Hancock today hailed the "hard graft" which has made Northamptonshire's NHS' covid vaccine roll-out one of the most successful in the country.

Official figures showed the county is among the top three areas n England after delivering jabs to 87.2 per cent of the 80-plus population in the county.

Only Hereford & Worcestershire and Gloucestershire have a better rate at 89.4 per cent and 91.1 per cent respectively up to January 24.

Kettering MP Philip Hollobone used today's House of Commons session of questions to the Health Secretary to ask him for acknowledgement of the roll-out's success in Northamptonshire.

Mr Hancock said: "Northamptonshire NHS is going great guns but that doesn't happen by magic.

"It happens by by hard graft especially by those GPs, pharmacists, support teams and volunteers who are doing such a great job in Northants."

Northants is already well over half-way towards its target of delivering Covid-19 jabs to 135,000 people by mid-February with more than 86,000 doses of the precious vaccine gone to to 76,403 people by January 24.

And that was the BEFORE the new mass vaccination centre in Northampton opened with the capacity to vaccinate thousands more!

Chris Pallot, director of the Northampton vaccination programme, said: "We do know this vaccine will stop people becoming very sick and that is the most important thing.

"In time, this is our way towards the end of this terrible journey and it's a huge privilege to be a part of it.

"To put a light at the end of the tunnel is a great privilege. It has been humbling to see how many hands have gone up to help."

Peter O'Dowd, 80, travelled from Wellingborough to get his jab at Moulton Park.

He has been isolating since March last year and should have been soaking up the sun in Benidorm right now if the pandemic had not interfered.

He said: "I'm relieved to get it done. Lockdown's been really bad because I play golf and I can't play it any more.

"I feel much happier now, really, now it's been done. I feel a lot more safer, more confident. It gives you quality of life."