More than a third of people living in Norfolk and Waveney have received a coronavirus jab, fresh data has revealed.

New figures published by NHS England on Thursday show 297,668 patients had been administered at least one dose of the vaccine by February 14.

That makes up 34.9 pc of the area's overall adult population, the third-highest rate in the country.

Suffolk and North East Essex is sixth on the list, with 34.5pc having had an initial shot.

On Monday, the nation's vaccination programme moved into its next stage, with patients aged 65 to 69 - as well as 16 to 64-year-olds with serious underlying health conditions - now being given jabs.

While there is a four-day lag in relation to the published data, 114,985 people under the age of 70 had already had a vaccine by Sunday, which is 17.4pc.

Progressing the roll-out comes after the government successfully hit its target to offer vaccines to the top four priority groups by February 15.

That includes everyone aged 70 and above, care home residents, frontline health and social care workers, and patients deemed extremely clinically vulnerable.

A total of 68,176 over-80s - the programme's oldest priority group - have had initial jabs (95.6pc).

Another 50,019 in the 75-79 cohort have been given first shots, while 64,488 people aged 70 to 74 have been injected with either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Oxford-AstraZeneca product.

From this week, those in priority groups five and six began attending appointments at hospitals, GP-led sites and mass vaccination centres in Norfolk and Waveney.

GP-led vaccination sites are initially focusing on the clinically vulnerable in cohort six because of the existing relationship between general practice and those with long-term conditions.

The majority of 65 to 69-year-olds are therefore being invited to large centres or pharmacy sites.

In Norfolk and Waveney, there are currently four large centres - in Norwich, King's Lynn, Attleborough and North Walsham - and a single pharmacy, in Lowestoft, delivering jabs.

Also included in the next two cohorts are freelance and unpaid carers, who were not inoculated alongside frontline health and social care workers.

While the plan is initially focused on delivering as many first doses as possible, 8,213 over-80s (11.5pc) in the area have already had second shots.