People aged 56 to 59 are being invited to book a life-saving coronavirus jab this week as the NHS vaccination programme continues.

Letters to 850,000 people aged 56 to 59 began landing on doorsteps from 6 March, with a further 850,000 expected to arrive on 8 March. The latest invites have been sent after more than eight in ten people aged 65 to 69 took up the offer of a jab.

NHS staff have vaccinated more than 18 million people across England, meaning more than one third of the adult population, have already received the life-saving jab.

Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS national medical director for primary care and a GP, said: “The NHS vaccine programme is committed to protecting the country against coronavirus and it is testament to our incredible staff that we can now move on to the next age group.

“We must not forget that our success in vaccinating more than 18 million people is down to careful planning and the hard work of those staff. The vaccines are both safe and effective, so if anybody who is eligible but hasn’t been vaccinated yet, I’d urge them to go online or call 119 and get themselves booked in.”

Vaccinations are now being administered at more than 1,600 sites across the country, including mosques, museums and rugby grounds, with the distribution of centres meaning 98 per cent of the country lives within 10 miles of at least one vaccination service.