PEOPLE living in Herefordshire should keep their hopes of getting a coronavirus vaccine "in some realism", as a county councillor doesn't expect a big rollout until next year.

Speaking at a Bromyard and Winslow Town Council meeting on Monday, Coun Nigel Shaw said there is not yet a test centre in Herefordshire, but a site has been identified.

He also said there's not a centre in Worcestershire yet, despite the NHS Trust which runs the Royal Worcestershire Hospital being identified as a "vaccine hub".

This means it will be a place where the first UK-approved Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are given.

The rollout started on Tuesday morning as doses had arrived at some hubs, but it is not known when all 50 hubs in England will receive them as they are starting to administer the jab at different times and deliveries are expected to happen throughout the week.

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Bromyard Bringsty ward Conservatives councillor Nigel Shaw told the full council meeting: "Covid goes on. We haven't got a centre as at the moment in Worcestershire or Herefordshire for inoculations, for the new Covid jab.

"We have identified one centre at least in Hereford, but I'm not expecting to see really a lot of this rollout of this particular vaccination until the new year, certainly in areas such as ours where the instance of Covid is relatively low.

"Powers much further up the tree than me will make their decision accordingly.

"I had my flu vaccine last week for the first time ever I've had a flu vaccine, but I wouldn't personally expect to see a Covid vaccine probably until March or April next year.

"I think we ought to just keep our hopes in some realism with how this is going to be rolled out across the country."

It is also not known where or when the people in Herefordshire at the top of the coronavirus vaccine priority list will be given the jab.

Those at the top of the list include residents in a care home for older adults and their carers, and then all those aged 80 and over as well as frontline health and social care workers.

Coun Shaw said he expects volunteers in the county to be called on to administer the vaccine.

"There will no doubt be a call for volunteers to do some vaccinations. As I understand, anyone versed with almost any first aid training will be called on.

"No doubt there will be another opportunity for calls on volunteers."