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The seven London boroughs with the UK’s worst vaccine take-up rates

A NHS staff prepares to administer the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to a member of the public at a vaccination centre in London. (Photo by Dinendra Haria / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)
A NHS staff prepares to administer the Oxford AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine to a member of the public at a vaccination centre in London. (Photo by Dinendra Haria / SOPA Images/Sipa USA)

The seven areas of the UK with the worst vaccine take-up are all in London, new data has revealed.

The capital has fallen considerably behind the rest of England in terms of the percentage of its population who have been jabbed, and is the only region where less than 50% of adults have had a first dose.

Some 47.1% of the adult population of London has received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, compared to 67.7% in the South West, the area with the highest rate.

England's vaccine rates, broken down by region

London has fallen behind the rest of England in the race to roll out the vaccine (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)
London has fallen behind the rest of England in the race to roll out the vaccine (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)

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In the UK, 70.2% of have had their first dose of the vaccine.

Tower Hamlets in East London is the local authority area with the UK's lowest vaccination rate, with just 34.8% of adults having had their first dose.

Comhairle nan Eilean Siar in Scotland has the highest rate of first doses, with 89.1%.

Of the 10 lower tier local authorities with the worst first dose rate, eight are in London.

They are:

  • Tower Hamlets – 34.8%

  • Hammersmith and Fulham – 37.6%

  • Hackney and City of London – 37.6%

  • Westminster – 38%

  • Islington – 38%

  • Newham – 38.3%

  • Lambeth – 39.6%

  • Oxford – 39.8%

  • Camden – 40.1%

  • Cambridge – 40.1%

Although many of these areas have low vaccine take up when compared to the rest of the country, they are still ahead of most of Europe.

Many European countries have only given the first dose of the vaccine to around a third of their population.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said at the start of May only 7% of people felt negative towards the vaccines.

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Among the roughly 7% of people who refused the vaccine the three main reasons were fears over "long-term health effects", "side effects" and "how well the vaccine works."

The ONS said among people aged 50 and over vaccination rates were lower for all ethnic minorities when compared to white British people.

The least likely group to get the vaccine were Black African's at just over 70% saying they would take the jab and Black Caribbean's at just over 66%.

Among white British people, over 93% of them got the vaccine, with people of Indian heritage just behind on 90.9%.

The areas where the lowest number of adults have had one dose, compared to the UK as a whole

Tower Hamlets has the lowest proportion of adults who have had one dose of the coronavirus vaccine (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)
Tower Hamlets has the lowest proportion of adults who have had one dose of the coronavirus vaccine (Yahoo News UK/Flourish)

Vaccine hesitancy has been put in the spotlight recently after the emergency of the Indian variant of the vaccine.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock voiced his frustration on Monday that some people were still not getting the coronavirus vaccine, amid fears of the spread of the Indian variant.

Mr Hancock said the majority of people admitted to hospital in Bolton, which has seen the biggest outbreak of the B1617.2 variant, had been eligible for the jab but had not taken it up.

Some experts have criticised this view and said the real problem is the spread among younger people who have not been offered the vaccine at all.

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