October 14, 2021 4.00 pm This story is over 28 months old

Only 1 in 4 children had their COVID vaccine in Lincolnshire

Government push to jab school children to curb infections

Less than a quarter of Lincolnshire children aged 12-15 have so far been vaccinated for COVID according to government figures, despite a major push to promote the jab.

NHS vaccination data released on Thursday revealed that 1,126,365 doses COVID jabs had now been handed out in Lincolnshire.

There were 5,402 doses given out in the past week, 29% more doses than the previous week’s 4,196.

Of those, 543,789 were second jabs – around 86% of the total 634,453 population of Lincolnshire.

Some 564,361 people over the age of 18, and 18,215 under 18s have received their first dose, while 540,621 over 18s and 3,168 under 18s were double-dosed.

The figures mean that, in Lincolnshire, 3,314 first and 327 second doses were given to under 18s last week. Just 1,761 doses were given to over 18s.

In North East Lincolnshire a total of 217,641 doses of the vaccine have been administered, with 104,363 second doses.

In North Lincolnshire, 242,745 doses have been handed out, with 116,827 being double-jabbed.

A heatmap showing the vaccine take-up by age group.

Earlier this week government ministers wrote a public letter urging parents to vaccinate children aged 12-15 as soon as possible.

They said children and young people had been “hugely affected” by the pandemic both in their education and their social life, and looked to reassure parents that evidence showed young people remained at very low risk of serious illness from COVID-19.

However, they said there was a “need to continue to reduce the spread of COVID-19” and lessen the risk of children taking time off school.

In the latest government figures on Wednesday, just 21.1% of children in Lincolnshire aged 12-15 had reportedly taken up the vaccine, despite infection rates soaring to 2,319.5 per 100,000 in 10-14-year-olds and 879.2 in those aged 16-19.

In North East Lincolnshire, the figure was 16.3% with infection rates for 10-14s at 1,294.9 per 100,000 population and 15-19s at 763.6.

Finally, in North Lincolnshire just 15.6% of young people had a vaccine dose, with infection rates there hitting 2,225.5 for 10-14-year-olds and 1,238.9 for 15-19-year-olds.

“Vaccines are our best defence against COVID-19. They help protect young people, and benefit those around them.

“Vaccination makes people less likely to catch the virus and less likely to pass it on,” said the ministers on Monday.

Three million pupils aged between 12 and 15 across the UK have been eligible to receive a first COVID-19 jab as part of a rollout that began three weeks ago.

Parental consent forms are required for children aged 12 to 15 to be vaccinated.