The first coronavirus vaccine doses delivered in Cheshire West are likely to be those developed by Pfizer, according to the council's chief executive.

Andrew Lewis, who has been in post since 2018, made the comments at the authority's Covid-19 outbreak board meeting on Wednesday, November 25.

Mr Lewis said: "It is likely to be the Pfizer vaccine, which has restricted ways to be delivered — so cannot be delivered rapidly, it needs a central hub.

"We are working with the Countess of Chester Hospital to act as a hub for the people who need it most like people in care homes.

"The Oxford vaccine is much more conducive to be delivered to the wider community. We want to be absolutely ready to deliver that in Cheshire West."

Mr Lewis added that the news of the vaccine and the borough's continuing fall in infection rates led him to be cautiously optimistic for the new year.

He said: "We hope that that, with the spring [means] we can go into 2021 with a hope of normality."

CWAC's seven-day infection rate stands at 208.1 cases per 100,000, based on the most recent data available from Public Health England.

This figure represents a large fall, as the borough experienced 323.8 cases per 100,000 on November 11.