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A 10,000-strong army of volunteers and medics are being recruited by NHS chiefs to help rollout the Oxford vaccine.

The jab is expected to be given the green light any day now in what is seen as a game-changing development by officials.

An army of vaccinators have been recruited ahead of the sign-off in anticipation of getting Britons inoculated.

According to details reported by The Telegraph, NHS bosses have began prepping sports stadiums and town halls as vaccine centres, with a target date of January 4 for the start of the rollout.

A source told the paper: “At the moment, we are operationalising everything for the 4 January for the first Oxford/AstraZeneca jabs in arms. You’ll see it everywhere, while we’ll also be carrying on with Pfizer.”

“Tens of thousands of vaccinators and support staff have been recruited.”

The Oxford vaccine is seen as easier to deliver than the current medicine on offer, developed by Pfizer. The Pfizer jab requires super-cold storage and can only be moved four times in a chain.

Meanwhile, the Oxford doses can be stored at easier temperatures and costs the government less than already-approved rival.

Swathes of volunteers are expected to deliver at least a million jabs a week to vulnerable Brits by the middle of January.

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Community centres and village halls, along with sports stadiums and conference centres, will be primed as vaccine posts.

Doctors, nurses and paramedics will staff the pop-up centres, The Mail reported, as a source said Downing Street wanted to “throw the kitchen sink” at getting Brits the jab.

Ministers are also reportedly reviewing the time between the first and second doses, with consideration being given to lengthening the gap in order to speed-up the rollout.

A Government source told The Telegraph: "Everyone will get two doses, nobody will only get a half dose, but it could be a longer period, up to 12 weeks, between jabs. You could get a better impact."

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  WHO warns of 'another pandemic' with humans sleepwalking into Disease X

Officials are hoping to get all vulnerable patients vaccinated by the end of February with their first jab. Once this is done, it is estimated that the mortality rate of coronavirus could drop by 99%.

Meanwhile, the number of Covid patients receiving treatment is heading towards the peak the UK saw in April.

Hospitals in the south of England have seen a "real rise in pressure", with paramedics in the capital receiving almost 8,000 call-outs daily.

Boxing Day was hailed as one of London Ambulance Service's (LAS) 'busiest ever days'.

Saffron Cordery, deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, told the BBC: "We're seeing a real rise in the pressure for hospital services, but also other types of NHS services as well… ambulance trusts in particular are coming under extreme pressure, as are community and mental health services".

• NHS
• Coronavirus

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