Covid vaccination programme reaches milestone as half a million doses given in county

It comes as 500,000 doses of the vaccine have now been given to patients in the county, with the milestone being marked yesterday.

And from today, 33-year-olds can book their jabs with the invitation being rolled out to 32-year-olds on Monday.

NHS data shows 120,975 people in Shropshire had received both jabs by the end of Sunday – 45 per cent of those aged 16 and over, based on the latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

Of those to have received both jabs, 109,628 were aged 40 and over – 58 per cent of the age group.

It means 11,347 people aged between 16 and 39 have received both doses.

The NHS vaccine data also reveals variation in coverage between different areas for residents who have received at least one dose.

Across Shropshire, 73 per cent of those aged 16 and over have received their first jab.

Shrewsbury London Road is the area where most people aged 16 and over have had their first dose, while Gobowen, St Martin's and Weston Rhyn have the lowest coverage.

Disparities

In Telford and Wrekin, 56,035 people had received both jabs by Sunday – 39 per cent of those aged 16 and over.

Of those, 48,955 were aged 40 and over, accounting for 55 per cent of the age group, meaning 7,080 people aged between 16 and 39 have received both doses.

Almost 70 per cent of those aged 16 and over have received their first jab, with the highest number in Ironbridge, Admaston and Higher Ercall.

Hadley and Horton were the areas with the lowest number of patients who have had their first dose.

Eligible groups

Angie Wallace, senior responsible officer and programme director for Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin Covid-19 vaccination service, said: “We are really pleased with the progress on the vaccination programme in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and the number of people coming forward to be vaccinated.

"Thanks to the amazing work of all the staff and volunteers working on the vaccination programme, we gave our 500,000th vaccination yesterday and over 90 per cent of local residents over the age of 50 have had at least their first dose.

"We continue to encourage people in the eligible groups, including people over the age of 34, people with health conditions that put them at greater risk of Covid-19, people with a learning disability and carers to book an appointment if they haven’t done so yet.

"We also encourage people to attend their second dose appointments for maximum protection for themselves and their family.”

Across England, 17.1 million people had received a second dose of the jab by May 16 – 38 per cent of the population aged 16 and over.

That includes 15.1 million people aged 40 and over – 53 per cent of the age group.

In total, 30.4 million people had received at least one dose of a vaccine by the same date, covering 67 per cent of people over 16.