ONE IN FIVE adults in England aged under 70 have had their first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine, new data suggests.

Provisional figures from NHS England published today show that 16,337,561 Covid-19 vaccinations took place in England between 8 December and 24 February, including first and second doses.

This is a rise of 411,146 on the previous day’s figures.

Of this number, 15,794,992 were the first dose of a vaccine, a rise of 396,937 on the previous day, while 542,569 were a second dose, an increase of 14,209.

An estimated 20.3% of people aged 16 to 69 had received their first jab as of 21 February.

The estimates show little variation between the regions, ranging from 17.2% in London to 22.3% in north-west England.

Some 94% of residents of older adult care homes in England eligible to have their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine had received the jab by 21 February, NHS England said.

As of Tuesday, 359,616 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in Ireland, which is less than 5% of the Irish population. 

226,291 people have received their first dose; and 133,325 people have received their second dose.

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Healthcare workers refusing the vaccine

England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Wednesday that healthcare workers had a “professional responsibility to take steps themselves to prevent them from being in a position where they could harm patients through infectious diseases they might have”.

Asked how he felt about people working in the NHS or in care homes who were refusing to have the vaccine, Prof Van-Tam said the vast majority were getting a jab.

He added:

I agree with Professor (Chris) Whitty in that I think healthcare workers have always had a professional responsibility to take steps themselves to prevent them from being in a position where they could harm patients through infectious diseases they might have.

“That’s been a very clear position on Hepatitis B vaccine and performing invasive procedures, particularly surgery, for decades and decades.

“And so I think that’s the professional standard that everybody ought to adhere to.

“Now, the other way of framing this is saying, if you’re a consumer of healthcare, if you’re a patient or a relative, would you prefer a healthcare worker to attend you or your relative if they have been vaccinated against Covid, or would you not really mind either way?”

NHS England has said around 88% of patient-facing NHS trust healthcare workers in England are likely to have had their first dose of a vaccine.

Around one in seven people aged 70 and over in London had yet to have their first dose of Covid-19 vaccine at the start of this week, the figures suggest.

An estimated 85.2% of those aged 70 and over in the capital had received their first jab up to 21 February – the lowest proportion for any region.

The estimate for the whole of England was 95.9%.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on 14 February that everyone in England in the top four priority groups, including those aged 70 and over, had been offered the vaccine.