Hospitals treating patients in some of the highest risk coronavirus hotspots have seen plans to issue the vaccine pushed back.

Plans originally drawn up by the NHS included Darent Valley Hospital and Medway Maritime Hospital in the list of 53 hospital hubs.

But the country's largest vaccination programme in history starting today – including at the William Harvey Hospital in Ashford – will not initially include the hospitals in Dartford and Gillingham as was first set out.

In a letter from chiefs at NHS England sent to trust executives and CCG bosses on November 20, both Medway NHS Trust and Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust were among the first hospitals in the country – along with East Kent Hospitals which runs the William Harvey – told to prepare.

A revised list announced by the NHS on Sunday, which still included East Kent Hospitals, saw the original 53 reduced to 50 and the other two Kent trusts were dropped.

The vaccine will still be delivered at Medway and Darent Valley when they receive supplies in later phases of its roll out, a spokesman for NHS Kent and Medway said.

From next Tuesday, nine GP surgeries in Kent and Medway will become the first community based primary care centres for the vaccine.

Patients will be contacted by the NHS for the vaccination according to the priority lists for people most at risk of falling seriously ill.

Practices have been put on standby to start delivering the jab and more are due to start as part of "a phased approach during December".

A first delivery of 800,000 doses – enough for 400,000 people – arrived in the UK last week as the NHS launched its mammoth logistical plan to transport the vaccine to hospitals.

Vaccination centres capable of adminstering to more patients will be set up as more supplies of the Pfizer BioNTech jab arrives. The UK has ordered 40 million doses so far along with millions of yet to be approved vaccine candidates.

Medway has the highest infection rate in the country which yesterday passed 600 per 100,000 for the first time.

Half of Medway hospital's 500 beds are occupied by patients who have tested positive for Covid-19.

Gravesham, which is covered by Darent Valley, has been consistently in the top 10 worst areas in the UK during November.

KentOnline has asked NHS England to explain the reasons behind Medway and Darent Valley being dropped from the initial list.

Dr Navin Kumta, Ashford GP and clinical chair of Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group said: "The vaccine is the long-term game changer. But everyone will need two doses given about a month apart. So right now we all still need to be making every effort to stop the spread of the virus.

"It’s critical that anyone with symptoms self-isolates; along with everyone in their household.

“We all need to keep washing our hands regularly and properly; wearing masks and keeping two metres from others wherever possible.”

Updates on the vaccine programme in Kent and Medway will be provided here.

For the latest coronavirus news and advice, click here.

Read more: All the latest news from Dartford

Read more: All the latest news from Medway