Hundreds of patients queued up to receive coronavirus jabs at new mass vaccination centres across England – including the Etihad Tennis Centre.

Lines of patients, many over 80, formed on Monday outside some of the seven sites around the country where nurses prepared to vaccinate thousands at socially distanced tables or cubicles.

Great-grandfather Nana Kwabena Edusei, 81, was the first member of the public to be jabbed at Newcastle’s Centre for Life, which will be able to vaccinate eight patients every five minutes.

Mr Edusei, a retired manager with Associated British Foods, said after his experience: “It was not a problem at all.

“They asked me a few questions about my health, I signed a form, everything went smoothly, I didn’t feel the injection at all.”

Sue Jones, 57, who works for North Bristol NHS Trust, received her Covid-19 vaccination at Ashton Gate Stadium.

She said: “It is a game-changer and will change people’s lives, although it will obviously take time.”

The first patient at Epsom racecourse in Surrey was 88-year-old Moira Edwards, who received the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab at around 8.15am.

Speaking during a visit to the site, Health Secretary Matt Hancock urged people to get the vaccine.

He said: “Obviously there are people here, on my team here at Epsom racecourse, who have gone to come out to give the vaccines and people have got to come get the vaccines.”

Mr Hancock said “supply is the rate-limiting factor”, but added that the UK has “one of the biggest supplies in the world including the home-made Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine”.

The Manchester Tennis and Football Centre will vaccinate healthcare staff and the most vulnerable, with many people from Bolton offered an appointment at the city-centre site.

Professor Stephen Powis, national medical director of NHS England, said supply was the “rate-limiting factor” in how quickly the vaccines can be rolled out.

He said: “Every week we are getting more supply, but of course these are new vaccines, manufacturers are stepping up their manufacturing processes… we are confident that as long as we get the supplies then we’ll be able to jab the people who need the vaccine.”

He said the NHS staff working on the programme have been boosted by 80,000 vaccine volunteers.

Cllr Sue Baines, the cabinet member for health and wellbeing, volunteers to give vaccinations across the borough.

The registered midwife completed her first six hour shift at the Tonge Moor vaccination site last Tuesday, and will be helping out around her council duties until the work is done.

She said: "It's all hands on deck, if you've got skills you need to use them for the benefit of other people.

"We've all got a part to play though – I know there are some doubters out there but at the end of the day we're not going to come out the other side of this without the vaccine.

"When you get your invitation, don't be hesitant and just get it done, it's in all our interests to get the vaccination and that's the best thing to do."