HEALTH chiefs are considering opening a mass Covid-19 vaccination centre in Cheshire - although figures show they are "on track" to meet national targets delivering jabs to priority groups.

Currently, the vaccine roll-out in Cheshire of both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines is focused on hospitals, including Leighton Hospital, and primary care networks, many of which are based out of GP surgeries.

One pharmacy is also being used to administer the vaccine - and there are plans to use more.

But the nearest large-scale hub for the region is at St Helens RFC's Totally Wicked Stadium or the Etihad Tennis Centre in Manchester.

At today's meeting of NHS Cheshire clinical commissioning group (CCG) - the body responsible for organising the county's vaccine roll-out , Director of Strategy and Partnerships Tracey Cole said the organisation was looking at all the options in terms of increasing capacity.

She said: "We are looking at all the options. What is the best way to provide this vaccine across Cheshire is one that fits with our population.

"There are further discussions today with partners with what those options are. If we need those [mass] sites we will put forward to have them.

"They need a massive amount of staff and there are a number of things to consider."

CCG Chair Dr Andrew Wilson told the meeting the health body believes the roll-out is "going well'", according to who also warned that dark days still lay ahead.

But he added: "I think it is very easy and right to show some optimism with the vaccine, but 1,800 people died yesterday (in England) and we know that there has been significant excess deaths — and Covid was the number one cause of death in the UK last year.

"We need to remember that we are still in the middle of a very serious pandemic which is putting the NHS under huge strain."

The CCG has revealed higher expenditure in the organisation's hospital discharge programme last autumn means it is facing a defecit of £6.5 million by the end of March on its latest financial projections.

Finance chiefs told the CCG's governing body that they are confident that "every penny is spent effectively".

Executive Director of Finance and Contracts, Lynda Risk, said: "Obviously, all the usual costs we incur go through the usual probity routes so we are still absolutely keeping our cost control within the system.

"I do not think cost control exercises are appropriate at this time, but we do need to make sure every penny is spent effectively for the patients of Cheshire."