One in six Mansfield adults has not had Covid jab as Government urges everyone to get vaccinated
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Prime Minister Boris Johnson has appealed to the millions of people across the UK who have not yet taken up the offer of a coronavirus vaccine to finally get the jab to help the country avoid tougher restrictions over the winter.
NHS England data shows 76,800 people aged 18 and over in Mansfield had received a first dose of the vaccine by September 13.
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Hide AdBut this means that 16,487 remain unvaccinated – about 17.7 per cent of all adults in the area, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service.
Those aged 18-29 have the highest refusal rates in the area, with 34 per cent yet to get a jab, followed by the 30-39 age bracket, at 31 per cent.
A higher proportion of children aged 16 and 17 are unvaccinated, at 47.1 per cent, but they were offered the jab much later than others.
At the other end of the scale, just 2.5 per cent of those aged 80-89 have not received their first vaccine.
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Hide AdAbout 10.8 per cent of the UK population aged 16 and above have not taken up the offer of a Covid-19 vaccine.
Priority
Andy Abrahams, Mansfield mayor, has previously urged people to use their ‘common sense’ around Covid, amid reports of Mansfield having one of highest rates of infection in the country.
And as the Prime Minister launched his plan to ‘live’ with the disease through the coming months, Sir Patrick Vallance, his chief scientific adviser, said getting vaccination levels up was the key to keeping case numbers down and maintaining lighter controls.
He said: “There are five million or so people who are eligible for vaccines now who haven’t been vaccinated.
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Hide Ad“Trying to persuade those people it is the right thing to do to get vaccinated would make a significant difference.
“The immunity is really important to keep this down and allows lighter measures to be put in place to keep it under control.”
Mr Johnson said additional measures could include vaccine passports, as well as the return of face masks in public places and encouraging people to work from home.
However, he said the ‘priority’ was to get everyone possible vaccinated, insisting it was in their own interests to get protected.
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Hide AdThe Government said vaccine protection was holding up ‘very well’ against the disease, but there was evidence it was fading – particularly in those who are most vulnerable.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed booster shots will be offered from next week, September 20, to maintain protection levels as the country enters the autumn.
It will be available for people aged 50 and over, care home residents, health and social care workers, those aged 16-49 with underlying health conditions, adult carers, and adult household contacts of immunosuppressed individuals.
Meanwhile, estimates from the Office for National Statistics show there are about 4,897 young people aged 12-15 Mansfield who will be offered their first jab.