Covid vaccination rates revealed for Leicestershire and Rutland

NHS England has up to now revealed only nationwide statistics but the organisation is now giving details on more localised areas.

Up to January 17, 52.7 per cent of people aged 80 and over in Leicestershire and Rutland had their first jab with six per cent of residents in these counties having had both doses already.

The figures reveal an inconsistency in the roll-out of the Pfizer and Oxford AstraZeneca vaccines with 85.3 per cent of over-80s in Gloucestershire having had their first jab and several other areas including Northamptonshire (78.2 per cent) also reporting high vaccination rates.

Conversely, in the Suffolk and North East Essex geographical area only 36 per cent of over 80s have had their first jab and in the Nottingham/Nottingham Health and Care area just 43.2 per cent have done so.

The NHS England statistics also reveal that 6.5 per cent of all adults aged 18 and over in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland have had at least one dose of the vaccine so far.

The Melton Times has sought figures for the total number of people who have had their first coronavirus vaccine in the Melton borough but the Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland CCGs say that more localised data is not yet available.

The government say well over five million people across the UK have had their first jab and 466,796 have had both so far.

The most vulnerable people, those aged over 70 and frontline key workers are currently being prioritised in the vaccine roll-out.