'Three out of five' receive autumn Covid-19 booster
Thursday, December 8 marked two years since Margaret Keenan became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer jab - kickstarting a word-wide rollout of the historic vaccine.
Since then, about 66,900 people in Hartlepool have been fully vaccinated – getting both the first and second injection – figures from the UK coronavirus dashboard show – meaning at least 78.4% of people have had two jabs.
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Hide AdA further 52,600 have also received a booster or third dose - with uptake for the third jab standing at 61.7% at the end of November.
Uptake among people aged 50 and over, shows 23,900 residents had received the autumn booster, meaning that at least 59.7% of those in the age group have had the additional dose – below England's overall rate of 61.9%.
Nationally, 42 million people are fully vaccinated (75.2%) while 33.4 million have received a booster or third dose (59.8%).
Steve Russell, NHS director of vaccinations and screening, said that Covid-19, flu and other respiratory viruses are "still very much with us", and urged eligible people to get their autumn booster to "ensure maximum protection" throughout the festive period.
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Hide AdHealth Minister Maria Caulfield said the roll out of the vaccine over the past two years has been a "phenomonal feat" and saved lives.
She added: "We can’t be complacent. It is crucial that all those eligible, book their appointments to receive the vaccine as soon as possible to keep immunity levels high."