THREE in five people in St Helens have received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine, but there remain communities where uptake is lower.

And across St Helens, 79 per cent of those aged 16 and over have had one jab, with health officials stressing the figures are among the highest in the country.

But there are areas where uptake of having at least vaccine is lower than others.

Derbyshire Hill, 69.9 per cent, Town Centre East and Fingerpost, 69.9 per cent and Town Centre West, 70.7 per cent are among the areas in St Helens with the lowest percentages of the population locally to have had a jab.

Difficulty in travelling to the Saints stadium, vaccine hesitancy and not being registered with a GP are believed to be among the factors why uptake varies between areas.

Health chiefs say they will be making efforts to reach out to ensure no community is disadvantaged.

The mobile vaccination centre is one tactic being employed.

Covid rates are rising swiftly again across St Helens, however, hospital cases are very low, with only two Covid patients believed to be in hospital.

Senior doctors are monitoring the picture to see if higher infection rates translates to significantly moire hospital admissions.

But in the meantime the aim is to drive forwards with vaccinations to reduce the chances of people suffering serious illness.

Ruth DuPlessis, director of public health for St Helens Borough Council, said: “Vaccine uptake in St Helens remains consistently one of the highest in the Cheshire and Merseyside region and we thank all members of the public who have taken up their invitation to have their vaccine.

“However, we know that some areas do have a lower uptake than others – this is for a number of reasons including difficulty in travelling to the Saints stadium as well as vaccine hesitancy.

"We are working hard to address this to ensure that no communities are disadvantaged and have put in place a number of measures, including taking our mobile vaccination service into the heart of communities where uptake is lower and having conversations with people to reassure them about the vaccine.

“We are also working with hard to reach and vulnerable community groups to remove barriers around things such as language, GP registration, reliance on digital technology etc. so that people in these communities are able to access the vaccine as well as those living in the more affluent wards in our borough.

“Please remember that two doses of the vaccine gives optimum protection against serious illness from Covid-19, especially with the Delta strain circulating widely in the North West.

"Anyone over the age of 25 can now book their vaccine via: www.nhs.uk/book-a-coronavirus-vaccination or by calling 119.

“All over 50s can also bring their second dose forward from 12 weeks to 8 weeks and should be contacted by the national booking service about this – alternatively they can contact the service they booked with to do this themselves.

“Please also remember to continue to socially distance when meeting people outside your household, even when outside, and practice mask wearing where needed and good hand hygiene.”

NHS data shows 88,193 people had received both jabs by June 6 – 60 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, 82,569 were aged 30 and over – 69 per cent of the age group.

It means 5,624 people aged between 16 to 29 have received both doses.

Across England, more than half of people aged 16 and over have received their second vaccine dose.

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

Across St Helens, 79 per cent of those aged 16 and over have had one jab.

Areas with the highest coverage:

1) Rainford, with 89.3% of people aged 16 and over given their first dose

2) Eccleston, 87.6%

3) Billinge, 87.4%

Areas with the lowest coverage:

1) Derbyshire Hill, 69.9%

2) Town Centre East and Fingerpost, 69.9%

3) Town Centre West, 70.7%