Wigan youngsters slow to have first Covid vaccination

Figures from the UK’s daily covid dashboard show 2,048 young teenagers had received a first dose of the Covid-19 vaccine by October 17 – around 12.9 per cent of the age group, based on the number of people on the National Immunisation Management Service.

Of them, 0.2 per cent had received both jabs.

Colin Angus, senior research fellow at the School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield, said the difference in uptake across the two nations was down to the way the vaccines were being rolled out to youngsters in the age group.

In Scotland, vaccines are being delivered in the way they are for adults – while in England they were being managed in schools.

However, Health Secretary Sajid Javid recently announced that 12 to 15-year-olds in England would also be able to arrange a Covid vaccine through the national booking service.

Mr Angus said: “While hospitalisation and even death from Covid in young people is thankfully very rare, increased vaccine uptake should help to reduce transmission rates in these age groups, bringing overall case numbers down and reducing the risk of infection being passed on to older, more vulnerable groups.”

A first dose of vaccine cannot be delivered to someone if they are within four weeks of testing positive for Covid-19, waiting for the results of a coronavirus test, or self-isolating.

James Bowen, director of policy for school leaders’ union NAHT, said before Mr Javid’s announcement that allowing 12 to 15-year-olds to attend walk-in vaccination centres would be “a sensible decision”.

Meanwhile, 57.2 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds across England were vaccinated by October 17. In Wigan, 60.1 per cent of older teenagers were – up from 59.3 on October 10.

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