A regional daily used its front page to urge readers to “grab a jab” as coronavirus restrictions were eased across England.

Portsmouth daily The News has launched a campaign urging readers to come forward if they have not yet been vaccinated against the disease.

While ‘Freedom Day’ yesterday saw many restrictions lifted, The News used its front page, pictured below, to raise awareness of appointment-free vaccinations centres which are open across Portsmouth.

Only 55.7pc of people in the city have had both jabs, compared to 60.4pc nationally.

Speaking to The News, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust medical director John Knighton said: “Recognising the rise in case numbers that we are having across our community and the need to continue to protect the vulnerable patients that we have under our care, we will continue to be asking all people attending the hospital to wear a mask, to wash their hands and to take all the usual and existing precautions as well following the recommendations that we already have on our website for visiting.

“We are seeing increasing numbers of patients, sadly, with Covid, not just in the community but coming into hospital and some of those are younger than they were before.

“So now is also the time, and perhaps particularly with the release of national lockdown measures further, now is the time to ensure that all the adult population get fully vaccinated.”