A record number of vaccinations were administered in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire last week with more than 85,000 people receiving a life-saving jab.

It comes after the local NHS ramped up its vaccination programme to deliver more jabs to the public as quickly as possible.

The new national push has resulted in more appointments being available, more sites opening, and hundreds of staff and volunteers being redeployed to help deliver more vaccinations and help the sites run smoothly.

The public are now being urged to book an appointment or walk into certain sites for a booster if they have not had one already. Local NHS bosses have confirmed there are more than 45,000 appointments available up until New Year's Eve with more being added every day.

The step up in getting more people vaccinated as quickly as possible is down to the increase in cases nationally which is being attributed largely to the Omicron variant, which is thought to be more transmissible than other variants.

According to official Government figures, in Ashfield, which includes Hucknall, there have been 768 new cases of Covid-19 in the last seven days, which is an increase of 45% from last week.

Amanda Sullivan, Accountable Officer at the NHS Nottingham and Nottinghamshire CCG said: "Last week was a record week of vaccinations here in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and that is an incredible testament to our vaccination teams who are working extremely hard around the clock to protect the public.

"We have plenty of appointments available to be booked and we have opened three new sites specifically for walk-ins so there are plenty of options available for the public to get their jab.

"I would urge anyone who hasn't yet had a booster to get one as soon as possible. You may experience a sore arm and feel a bit achy, but that is far better than being poorly for up to 10 days with Covid-19 and face the prospect of having more complications such as long-Covid.

"If you have not yet had your first or second dose, you haven't been forgotten, you can still book or walk into our sites and I would urge you to do that as soon as possible to give yourself the best possible chance of protection."

In Ashfield 51.9% of the population who are eligible for a vaccine have had a third dose or booster so far.

Anyone wishing to book their booster can do so by calling 119 or by visiting the NHS website here.

Alternatively, they can walk into one of the three the new walk-in venues which are open 9-5, 7 days a week and are detailed below:

•The Victoria Health Centre - Glasshouse St, Nottingham NG1 3LW