MORE than 71,000 people aged 50 or above across St Helens have had their first Covid vaccine, according to latest figures.

Latest figures show two-thirds of people in St Helens have received their first dose of a vaccine.

NHS data shows 99,295 people had received a vaccine jab by April 4 – equating to 67 per cent of those aged 16 and over, according to the latest population estimates from the Office for National Statistics.

Locally, the St Helens Clinical Care Commissioning Group says that figure has now surpassed 100,000. The rollout of second doses is also ongoing, with 12,600 in St Helens having received it earlier this week.

St Helens Star:

Saints stadium houses the vaccination centre

Of those given the first dose of vaccine, NHS data shows 71,423 were aged 50 or over – 97 per cent of the age group.

It means 27,872 people aged between 16 and 49 have received a first dose of the vaccine.

The data also reveals variation in coverage between different areas across St Helens.

The proportion of residents prioritised for vaccinations, such as those aged over 50, is one factor that could affect vaccine coverage.

Areas with the highest coverage:

1) Eccleston, with 78.6 per cent of people aged 16 and over given their first dose

2) Rainford, 77.9 per cent

3) Rainhill South, 76.5 per cent

Areas with the lowest coverage:

1) Town Centre East & Fingerpost, 59 per cent

2) Derbyshire Hill, 59 per cent

3) Newton-le-Willows, 60 per cent

Across England, 26.6 million people had received their first dose of a vaccine by April 4, covering 58 per cent of the population aged 16 and over.

That includes 19.8 million people aged 50 and over – 94 per cent of the age group.

The figures also show that 4.3 million people have had a second dose of the jab.

A small number of people are not included due to their age being unknown.