Almost 2,000 more teenagers double jabbed in Ashfield and Mansfield

The UK Government is calling on eligible under 18s to get vaccinated this half term, with NHS staff and volunteers manning attractions such as zoos and skate parks to encourage more teenagers to get the jab.

Figures from the UK coronavirus dashboard show 1,136 people aged 16 and 17 in Mansfield had received two jabs by February 11 – 47 per cent of the age group, alongside 1,439 in Ashfield, 51 per cent.

A further 1,564 young people in Mansfield aged 12-15, 29 per cent of the age group, had received two doses of a Covid vaccine by that date. In Ashfield, the number is 2,047, or 34 per cent

It means 2,700 under-18s in Mansfield and 3,486 in Ashfield are double-jabbed, 35 per cent of those aged 12-17 in Mansfield and 39 per cent in Ashfield, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service database – up 887 and 927 respectively on a month earlier.

Dose

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation recommended that 16 to 17-year-olds receive a second dose of the Covid jab in November – extending the advice to those aged 12 to 15 just before Christmas.

The NHS said while many youngsters have already come forward for their vaccination, infection rates among school-age children remain high.

Separate figures from the Office for National Statistics show one in 11 pupils in school Years 7 to 11 nationally tested positive for coronavirus in the week to February 5.

Dr Nikki Kanani, GP and deputy lead of the NHS vaccination programme, said: “This half-term offers the perfect opportunity to get your child protected, by booking an appointment online or using one of the hundreds of walk-in sites across the country.”

Across England, 55 per cent of young people aged 12-15 have had at least one dose of the Covid jab, including 22 per cent who have received two.

Over 16s and clinically at-risk children aged 12-15, or those who live with someone who is immunosuppressed are also now eligible for a booster jab.

Young people who have had Covid must wait 12 weeks until they can be vaccinated, in line with JCVI guidance.

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