London is still lagging behind in the vaccine rollout with some boroughs having vaccinated a third fewer people than parts of Staffordshire, where the programme is roaring ahead.
NHS England figures show 79 per cent of over-55s in the country had at least one dose of the vaccine by March 14 — the most recent day local data is available for.
But MailOnline’s analysis shows this figure is significantly lower in most of London, with just 59 per cent of adults over that age having been given a jab in Hackney.
In total, 21 parts of the country have vaccinated less than 70 per cent of people in the top priority age groups — 17 of them are in London — despite the national rollout being extended to those aged 56 and above nearly two weeks ago on March 7.
For comparison, the Isles of Scilly has vaccinated 822 of its 876 over-55s — giving it an uptake of 93.8 per cent — and Stafford, Mid Suffolk and the Wyre Forest in Worcestershire have all vaccinated more than 89 per cent of the cohort.
Uptake figures are based on the latest population estimates by Public Health England’s National Immunisation Management Service (NIMS).
Figures also revealed one in four care home staff still haven’t been vaccinated. The rate is just 62.4 per cent in London. Health officials are concerned about high levels of vaccine hesitancy among black and ethnic minorities, fuelled by anti-vaxx messages on social media.
England’s vaccine roll-out was officially widened to over-50s yesterday but a shortfall in the vaccine supply is expected to delay under-50s receiving the jab by at least month.
Ministers were today scrambling to defuse a standoff with India over the 5million missing doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine, with No10 holding secret talks with New Delhi to get the roll-out back on track.
Matt Hancock yesterday admitted a delayed shipment from the Serum Institute of India was a key factor in shortages that will slow the campaign down next month, meaning millions of over-40s will have to wait until May to get their first dose.
NHS England figures show 79 per cent of over-55s in the country had at least one dose of the vaccine by March 14, but London is significantly lagging behind in uptake
MailOnline’s analysis of the latest vaccine statistics shows that while parts of the country are well on their way to achieving that target, with most over-55s already receiving a jab, most of the capital is seriously lagging behind.
More than half a million over-55s have yet to receive a jab, despite all having been offered one by their local GP before the Government began moving down the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s designated priority groups.
Uptake was worst in Hackney (59.2 per cent), Newham (60.2 per cent), Kensington and Chelsea (61.1 per cent), Southwark (61.3 per cent) and Westminster (61.4 per cent). Nearly 90,000 over-55s still have to come forward for a jab in those borough alone.
On the other end of the spectrum, 35 areas of the country have vaccinated more than 85 per cent of people in that age group.
Following the Isles of Scilly, Stafford, Mid Suffolk and Wyre Forest were the Isle of Wight (88.7 per cent), Wyre (88.3 per cent), Babergh (87.9 per cent), Malvern Hills (87.4 per cent) and Harborough (87.2 per cent).
East Suffolk has vaccinated a staggering 88.5 per cent of its over-55s despite being one of the very few local authorities in the country to have more than 100,000 people in the age group.
The data also showed just 64 per cent of carers working in people’s homes have taken up the offer of the vaccine.
Uptake among the group — who work with the most vulnerable people in society — is lowest in Barnet in north London (28.5 per cent), Barnsley in south Yorkshire (29.3 per cent) and Bath and North East Somerset (29.3 per cent).
Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and NHS England’s primary care director, said: ‘The number of vaccines available to the NHS will continue to go up and down week by week and month by month in line with manufacturers’ ability to supply us.
‘But this week and next we have larger supplies, so we want anyone in the top priority groups – people aged 50 and older as well as those working in health and care and anyone with an underlying health condition – to come forward soon to protect themselves and their loved ones.
‘The success of the NHS vaccination roll-out is testament to the work of NHS staff, and as new groups of people are invited to come forward it’s exciting that we are now inviting people aged 50 and over to get their jab.
‘The vaccines are both safe and effective, so if anybody who is eligible hasn’t been vaccinated yet, I’d urge them to go online or call 119 and get themselves booked in.’
It comes as ministers scramble to defuse the standoff with India over 5million missing doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid vaccine, with No10 holding secret talks with New Delhi to get the roll-out back on track.
Matt Hancock yesterday admitted a delayed shipment from the Serum Institute of India was a key factor in shortages that will slow the campaign down next month, meaning millions of over-40s will have to wait until May to get their first dose.
But in front of the entire nation last night, Boris Johnson – who is due to travel to India in the coming months to secure a lucrative post-Brexit trade deal – claimed Narenda Modi’s government had ‘not stopped any exports’.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden today waded into the confusion and repeated the claims of the Prime Minister, saying India was not ‘withholding vaccines’ and that the SII had ‘some supply issues’.
Asked if Mr Modi’s administration was blocking exports, Mr Dowden told LBC: ‘No. India is not withholding vaccines, and I pay tribute to the work of the Serum Institute. They have had some supply issues with 5million doses.’
But the boss of the SII yesterday said no further doses would be sent to Britain until the Indian Government gave the go ahead. He also said there was no shortage and claimed it had never made a deal to supply the full 10million doses within any given time frame.
Whitehall sources said there was a ‘constructive dialogue under way to work through issues’ with counterparts in New Delhi.
But the roll-out isn’t just being hampered by supply issues from India – which ministers seemingly hoped would allow for the vaccine drive to carry on while dishing out millions of second doses. Another 1.7million doses have been delayed because of the need to re-test a large batch already in the UK.
Despite concerns that the roll-out could be held up in the face of shortages with Tory MPs accusing No10 of ‘over-promising’, Government insiders haven’t ruled out moving onto people in their forties in the coming weeks.
after Health Secretary Matt Hancock today finally confirmed a delayed shipment from India is behind a Covid vaccine shortage that will hit the UK in April and lead to first doses being all but halted in Britain.
The UK was expecting another 5million doses of the Oxford-made vaccine from the Serum Institute of India, the world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer, to complete its order for 10m but a ‘scheduled’ delivery of over 4m has been pushed back.
Narendra Modi’s government in New Delhi is in control of exports and blocked the shipment, the Serum Institute’s CEO Adar Poonawalla said, to keep them for their own citizens with the country facing the prospect of a second wave. Mr Poonawalla said the company has committed only to helping the UK ‘as and when it can’.
Last month Mr Poonawalla asked other countries to ‘be patient’ and said it had been asked to ‘prioritise the huge needs of India’ and poorer nations.
Coronavirus cases in India are currently at about a third of their peak 2020 levels and the foreign minister said in parliament this week that ‘adequate availability at home’ was top of its priority list, the Financial Times reported.
Mr Hancock — who last night dodged questions about the source of the shortage and insisted it was a ‘standard’ warning — told the House of Commons today: ‘We have a delay in the scheduled arrival from the Serum Institute of India.’
And he said a further 1.7million doses of vaccines had been held up because experts had to ‘re-test its stability’, although he did not say which vaccines this affected, nor when the delay happened or how long it was.
Whitehall insiders have denied India purposely delayed the shipment in response to British criticism of allegations of Mr Modi’s Government using force on farmers staging peaceful protests over proposed plans that workers fear would hurt their incomes.