Younger Hartlepool people urged to get Covid jabs after 'astonishing' drop off

Health chiefs from organisations across Hartlepool have urged residents to get vaccinated to help combat high rates of Covid-19.
A mobile Covid vaccine clinic in the car park at St Aidan's Church, in Hartlepool, earlier this summer. Picture by FRANK REIDA mobile Covid vaccine clinic in the car park at St Aidan's Church, in Hartlepool, earlier this summer. Picture by FRANK REID
A mobile Covid vaccine clinic in the car park at St Aidan's Church, in Hartlepool, earlier this summer. Picture by FRANK REID

Hartlepool Health and Wellbeing Board was told by Hartlepool Borough Council director of public health Craig Blundred how the town had seen a large rise in cases in recent weeks to 1,055 per 100,000 of the population as of Monday morning.

Mr Blundred, along with other health chiefs, stressed the importance of encouraging people to receive both of their vaccinations to help reduce rates.

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Although there was an initial “very quick” take up of vaccinations among older age groups, Mr Blundred said they need more young people to receive their jabs.

Hartlepool Borough Council director of public health Craig Blundred.Hartlepool Borough Council director of public health Craig Blundred.
Hartlepool Borough Council director of public health Craig Blundred.

Fiona Adamson, GP Federation representative on the board, stressed the importance of getting this message out.

She said: “I can’t stress enough that the drop off in the younger people is astonishing.

“Anything that anyone can do to explain to younger people that they’re not invincible or their families aren’t invincible, is helpful.”

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Deepak Dwarakanath, medical director at North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust, said the trust was seeing an increase in patients coming through due to Covid and urged people to get vaccinated.

Referring to the trust’s figures on Sunday, he said: “We’ve rapidly gone from no in patients from Covid to just under 15.

“We’re seeing 10 to 12 admissions per day into the trust.

“It’s a very simple choice, a very blunt choice, vaccination versus ventilation.

"If you end up on ventilation, and we are a high performing unit for Covid ventilation cases, one in four patients do not survive.”

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Mr Blundred also noted how the Government last week announced Hartlepool, along with the whole of the North East, would be an enhanced response area for Covid.

He added this should help see more people vaccinated in Hartlepool.

He said: “From a Hartlepool perspective we’ll be pushing pop up vaccination sites really into the heart of our communities to make it as easy as possible for people to get vaccinated.”

The next walk-in clinic in town is due to take place on Wednesday, July 28, from 3pm-7pm at the Havelock Grange Practice, in Park Road, Hartlepool, and is for Pfizer first and second doses and AstraZeneca second doses.

Second doses must be administered eight weeks after the same first doses.